A Heroine's Discovery
by generic-faingirl
Summary: The final part of Marion's story. Almost a year after the day that changed her life forever, Marion is still trying to cope with her new life. But when a tragedy strikes her family, she embarks on a dangerous road that could damn or save her friend. And all the while, someone still waits for her, forgotten and cursed. Part 5 of AHJ series.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One.**

 **Eight months later.**

The bright May sunshine shone through the gaps in the shutters, forcing me awake.

My small box room always filled with light first. We should have thought about that before we built it facing south east. But in truth, I didn't mind it much now.

I didn't like sleep. Even all these months later, I still found myself haunted by memories. They chased me through my dreams, persistent and constant. There were still nights when I woke screaming after seeing his dead body lying in my arms again, cold and unmoving.

I feared they would never leave me. I feared I was doomed to relive that day over and over again, every time I closed my eyes. The pain never left, and neither did the guilt. It was my constant companion.

Sleep was never restful. It gave me the energy I needed for the next day and that was all. A means to an end.

Stretching, I rolled out of bed and grabbed the familiar item from my bedside table. Pressing the green stone to my lips, I held it tightly as I whispered 'I love you.'

It had become a daily routine now. Something to keep me grounded. The Emerald James had given me hung around my neck every day. I only ever took it off to sleep, and sometimes I didn't even do that.

Pulling off the male shirt I was wearing, I reached for the closest dress I could find. I didn't really care anymore what I wore. It was just something to clothe me. The once familiar scent had long since faded, but I still wore James's old shirts to sleep in. It brought me little comfort, but it was better then nothing.

No one else was awake, as was usually the case. Opening the new wooden door, I crept out of my room and snuck silently through the girl's bedroom. Clara and Gwen slept soundly, undisturbed by nightmares and memories. I envied them. Their innocence and promise of a future.

This was going to be the rest of my life. It didn't bother me in the way it used to. I had grown to accept it now. Things had improved since that terrible day, but I didn't think they'd improve any more. And that was alright, I could live with that.

I opened the door to the kitchen silently, and crept out, closing it swiftly behind me. Pale light was beginning to stream in through the window, and I grabbed the old battered bucket.

The daily list of chores gave me something to do. Some distraction. Some purpose. The only problem was that I had to spend too long in the house.

And there was only so much I could stand.

The cottage in Rault no longer felt like home, even though I had lived there nearly all my life. It was a place to sleep, but not home. I had thought that it's familiar walls would comfort me, the way they always had done when I was a child.

But now, they just served as a reminder of what I had lost.

I was back where I had started. I had tasted love and wealth and happiness, only to have it all snatched from me. And every day, the cottage reminded me of that.

Which is why I had changed as much of it as I could. My new room was just the beginning of the list of changes I had made.

I hadn't been able to sleep in my old bed after the funeral. I could bear the idea of someone who was not James sleeping in the same room as me. Even though they were my sisters, I just couldn't do it.

Every time I heard someone breathe during their sleep, I thought it was him. And the disappointment became too much to bear after a while.

And so, with our first money bag, we got an extra room built into the side of the house, where I could sleep alone.

The money bags were possibly the biggest change that had happened recently. A month after James's death, the bailiff who had evicted us appeared at our door in Rault. Once Alexander had stopped shouting and screaming at him, the bailiff explained that as a widow, I was entitled to a small portion of the estates profit every month. And there was nothing Lord Reid or Lady Caroline could do about it. I almost smiled for the first time when I realised how much they must hate having to give me money. And while the bailiff apologised for the small percentage I was entitled to, we all stood in shock.

We had all known James was a wealthy man. But not even Alexander had known exactly how wealthy. He hadn't had much chance to get through the accounts and workbooks James had been showing him. So even the small percentage I was given was still enough to ensure we lived comfortably. We didn't have riches, but we now always had enough food on the table, and enough clothes to wear, and enough money to finance changes to the house that I wanted to put in place. We didn't spend it all though. A lot of it we saved, just in case. After 7 bags, we had amassed easily enough to buy another cottage, but we were still saving.

We had also made one other significant change to the house.

The addition of a cellar.

We had gotten it built only two months after we moved back, and it was almost in constant use.

Mainly due to the almost constant houseguest we seemed to have.

Bianca stayed with us a lot now. She was almost one of the family. None of us minded, and I rather depended on her. She had told us that the birds were noticing more and more guards combing the forest, trying to capture her, so a lot of the time, she preferred to stay hidden with us. But we had only ever hidden her in our parents old room, which was not particularly safe for her if anyone came knocking.

So, we had gotten a cellar dug. We had claimed it was for food, but we had hidden a bed down there, and some blankets, enough for Bianca to make a room for herself. She's even painted it a shade of red. She claimed it reminded her of her sister.

Which is also why it was not uncommon to find Alexander down there on the days where Bianca was out in the forest.

He sat and stared at the wall for long periods of time, with a besotted look on his face.

Although he tried to hide it, we all knew exactly where he snuck off to once a month. Even Bianca was beginning to figure it out, and there were some nights at dinner where she wouldn't say a word, but just stare silently at my brother.

I didn't blame him in the slightest. If anything, I rather wanted to encourage it.

If what Scarlett and Alexander had was even a fraction of what James and I had get for each other, they needed to grab onto it and never let it go. I would have done anything to have more time with him, so they should take as much time as they could now.

I guessed Bianca had a different attitude to the matter.

She would be awake any moment. She always woke at dawn, like I did. I think the years of living in the forest, always on high alert had taken their toll on her.

Dragging the bucket outside, I walked towards the old water pump in the pale light of the dawn. No one else was awake yet, and the village was silent.

I preferred it this way. The people of Rault and I had a complicated history, and I still wasn't quite sure how exactly I felt about them. And I don't think they knew how they felt about me either.

After the curse, they had all tried to apologise for their actions that day. But the moment they heard about my title, many of them left. I think they were either intimidated by it, or were irritated by it. I had returned a lady of the land, who didn't need to work to provide for her family anymore. And I think some of them resented me for it.

But I didn't care. I'd suffered enough. I wasn't going to feel bad about taking what I was owed, especially after they had evicted me from the Manor House.

So, when the villagers saw me, some curtsied, some just kept their heads down and walked on by, and some outright turned away from me. At least now, they were all asleep, and I didn't have to deal with their judgements.

I pumped the water into the bucket, and heaved it up into my arms. It sloshed around and splashed on my dress, but I still couldn't find any energy to care. I made my way quickly back to the house, and discovered Bianca already emerging from the cellar.

'You've got it all over your dress again.' She complained, as I set down the bucket.

'Its just a bit of water.'

'Ice cold water, at dawn. You'll catch a chill before you know it.' She scolded me, pulling it across the floor.

'Are you going out today?' I asked. Bianca shrugged.

'How were they?'

'Silent.' I replied.

'So, it's safe. I should go.' Bianca said, biting into an apple that had been left on the table.

She had taught us how to recognise basic bird sounds. If they were silent, it usually meant there was no one in the forest that was a threat to Bianca, so she went to rob as many rich highborns as she could get her hands on. We also knew what the sound was if she was in danger, or the sound if she was going to be late or stay overnight in the forest. I had almost gone out of my mind worrying the first few times she had left with no warning.

Pulling her old cloak around her, she turned to me.

'I'll go now, while no one's awake. Be back probably after sundown. Save me some of those apple pastries will you?'

I nodded, before she walked calmly out of the door and closed it quietly behind her. I used to tell her to be safe, but we'd become so accustomed to her patterns that it didn't seem necessary anymore.

In the silence of the sleeping House, I began to slowly work on breakfast.

My siblings all awoke one by one, as they usually did, and are breakfast in the same way we had done for months.

The three youngest ones woke first, full of energy to face the coming day. Then Alexander, who had to leave early to get to the next village. He had found work with a nearby farmer, looking over the accounts and managing the wages. His short amount of time with James had really paid off, and although he'd only had about a months training, he had learned enough to figure out the rest of it. He seemed contented, having found something to do.

Daniel sometimes went with him, but more often than not, it was Richard who was the most eager. He loved going to see the numbers, and Alexander used him as a fast way to work out exactly how much everyone was owed.

And Clara had managed to fit back into village life as if she'd never left. Now she had been to a real highborn Ball, all the girls of the village were falling over themselves to hear about the young men she danced with, and to see the dress she wore, and to practice how to walk like a lady. They had accepted her back with open arms, as if she'd just stepped out of a folk tale.

She seemed happy, so I was happy for her.

The sun rose higher and higher, and breakfast finished. I cleaned up, and Clara dried the dishes and placed them back on the newly repaired shelf that no longer had a large crack down the middle.

Everyone went about their day, and so did I. I scrubbed, and tidied. I peeled vegetables and chopped fruit. The chores were good. They were repetitive and familiar. I needed something constant in my life. I needed a routine to think about instead of just staring off into the distance all the time.

The morning passed in a blur, and before I knew it, midday was upon us, with the sun high in the sky, and the heat beating down on us.

The door opened and Alexander walked in, along with Richard, who both looked ready for their lunch. I handed them the plate of bread and cheese that had been waiting for them, and they ate it greedily. They spoke to me of the mornings events, about how much the carpenter had charged the poor farmer to repair his cart. It was extortion, but there was very little to be done other than pay it.

'Honestly Arry, poor Mr Johnson was furious. He went as red as a tomato. I thought his head was going to burst right there and then.' Alexander told me.

'It was more purple...' Richard commented.

'Either way, he was not too pleased. And we really should be going. Mr Johnson's in a bad enough mood as it is, he'll want us back to try and see what we can salvage.' Alexander said, standing.

I grabbed a basket, and stood too.

'I'll walk with you. We need new flowers for the table. These ones are dying.' I said, pointing to he rather pitiful wilting irises.

And so, the three of us left the cottage, and began to walk towards the forest. It was the quickest path to the next village and also had more flowers growing in it than anywhere else nearby.

We had almost reached the end of the path, when a loud horse whinny in the distance made all three of us turn and face the source of the sound.

No one in Rault owned a horse. Only the farmers for the labour, and they never rode them out into the forest. And there was still no one living in the Manor House, as it was technically still Ella's.

So when all of us turned, none of us knew what or who to expect.

And who we did see startled all of us.

For there, riding towards us with quite some speed, was a young woman.

And not just any young woman.

Her rich velvet cloak flew behind her, dancing in the breeze as the horse galloped towards us. And the hood of the cloak had fallen down.

Revealing the bright long red hair of a certain someone.

Lady Scarlett Knox was hurtling down the road to Rault. And no one was expecting it.

'Scarlett?' Alexander cried, instantly running towards her.

When she spotted him, she yanked hard on the reigns, and the horse began to skid slightly on its suddenly halted hooves.

Richard and I hung back a little, unsure of exactly how to proceed.

Scarlett's horse finally stopped and Alexander caught up with her. She jumped down as quickly as she was able, and threw her arms around my brother straight away. He instantly pulled her tightly again him, and lifted her off the ground a little.

Richard and I edged closer, a little too curious for our own good.

'What are you doing here?' Alexander asked her, still holding her in his arms. 'And with bags?' He added.

At that comment, I glanced a look at the horse, and sure enough, there were two leather bags strapped to the horses rear, full of what looked like clothes.

'I... there was... I had to.' She stuttered.

'What happened?' Alexander asked quickly, pulling himself back to look at her face. He ran his thumb over her cheek, as if he were assuring himself that she was alright.

'Something happened, two nights ago.' She said.

'What? What happened? Are you hurt? Did Nerissa try to hurt you?' Alexander asked hurriedly.

'No, nothing like that.' She assured him.

At that moment, she seemed to realised that Richard and I were also stood there, and she gasped a little.

'Hello again.' I told her, and Richard just continued to stare.

'Ar- I mean Marion! Nice to see you again. And you must be...Tom?'

'Richard.' I corrected her.

'Oh, I'm so sorry. I've heard so much about you.' Scarlett told my brother. Richard still did not say anything in response. He didn't usually do particularly well with new people, and the strangeness of the situation was making if even more difficult for him to find the words

'What happened?' Alexander repeated, ignoring us.

Scarlett slowly turned back to him.

'I hope you won't be mad when I tell you. The plan I have is a little...insane. But it's the only one I can think of.'

Alexander looked even more concerned, and so Scarlett continued.

'Two nights ago, Nerissa came to my bedchamber. She informed me she had found me a match, and that I was going to announce our engagement tomorrow.'

Alexander's face went pale instantly. His fists curled at his sides, and his jaw set.

'I pleaded with her to not to, but she told me that I was going to do it, or I was going to be locked in my room until I starved, or submitted.'

'That bitch. Who is this man?' Alexander ground out.

'I don't know. I've never met him. He's just one of her puppets that she can control. No doubt he's a horrid brute who will keep me locked away so I can't claim my father's title.' Scarlett explained.

'So, What happened?'

Scarlett gestured to the bags behind her.

'As soon as she left, I packed these bags, and climbed out of the window.' She said bluntly.

Even I was impressed by that.

'You did what?' Alexander cried.

'I don't want the title. I don't even want the money. I want to be safe... and I want to be loved. I'll find another way to help my people from Nerissa, because I can't help them if I'm locked away by my husband.' Scarlett confessed.

Alexander eyes seemed to widen a little in understanding. I, however, was still very confused.

'And then I realised, she can't betroth me to anyone if I'm already married, can she?' Scarlett said, staring at Alexander.

At that, I understood her plan.

Grabbing Richard's hand, I pulled him back s little way. If what I thought was happening was actually happening, they didn't want me or Richard around to ruin the moment.

So, we slowly began to edge away, leaving a frozen Alexander with a rather leading question.

But to give Scarlett credit, she was right. She couldn't be used as a pawn if she was already married. And if she was married to someone outside the court, she'd never have to attend that court again, she would be free.

And I had a rather strong feeling that there was only one person that Scarlett wanted to try this rather insane plan with.

We turned quickly, and I pulled Richard along with me.

However we didn't get very far, as a beautifully melodic giggle was joined by a much lower gasp of surprise.

And I couldn't help but peak over my shoulder.

There, beside her horse, kneeling in the dirt, Scarlett Knox held my brothers hand in hers, as she asked him something quietly. I could hear what she was saying, but I had a pretty strong idea.

I was frozen in shock for a few moments, but Alexander didn't miss a second. He too knelt down and placed his other hand on her cheek, whispered in something that made her squeal with delight, before pulling her face to meet his own.

The sight of my little brother kissing was very odd to me. And I think even more startling for Richard.

I knew we should look away, that we should give them the privacy that a moment like this deserved.

But I was unable to turn away.

They looked so happy. They looked so thrilled and excited.

All the things I had been once.

The thought of it made my heart ache. At that moment, such a surge of longing for him overtook me that tears sprang to my eyes and I had to blink them away quickly to avoid anyone seeing them.

I had been that happy with him. I had been that loved.

But no more. And never again.

I should be thrilled for them. I knew I should be. But I simply couldn't be.

Part of me resented them for it. That they could be so happy and so in love and I couldn't be. I knew it wasn't their fault, but it still hurt.

Richard was the one to pull on my arm and force me to move away from them.

The newly betrothed pair were a little too occupied at that moment, and they really didn't need their siblings looking in on the scene. So, the pair of us walked away, and went back to the cottage. We suspected they wouldn't be in for a while. Not that I could blame them for it.

They looked so happy to be betrothed. And all I could think was how scared I had been.

When James had first suggested it, I thought he'd gone mad. And I had never imagined that it would have turned out as splendidly as it did.

It's had been a few days ago when the pain had truly resurfaced again. I thought that it had been getting better, but that damned day last week.

It was the day that would have been our first wedding anniversary. We didn't even make it past that.

I'd spent the entire day in tears, wishing he could be here to spend it with me. Knowing that he never could. My heart felt like it was going to break all over again at the mere mention of our wedding.

And here were two people who could not be happier of the prospect of their soon to be wedding. The idea was like a knife to my heart.

They had years ahead of them, happy and joyful. They would be together, not separated by the veil of death.

And I could never have that.

We eventually made it back to the cottage, and Richard sat me down silently, and offered me a handkerchief before I even knew I needed one.

The corners of my eyes had began to mist. My brother didn't say anything, but rubbed his thumbs over my shoulders in a soothing sort of way.

'I'm alright. Truly.' I lied.

Richard didn't respond but continued to just stand by me in his own way.

I was not sure how much time passed exactly, but I know it was a while. Alexander and Scarlett didn't return, not that we expected them too. Richard eventually made a pot of tea for us, as I tried to grab a hold of my wild emotions.

I tried so hard to force myself to be happy. My brother had found love. And they were probably getting married any day now. And while I'd only ever met Scarlett once, she seemed like a lovely girl who had been through a horrid few years. And she was Bianca's sister.

They deserved to be happy. They deserved to not have me mess anything up by being miserable.

I really tried.

Suddenly the door flew open, and both Richard and I whirled around to face...

Clara.

It was only Clara. Back from meeting her friends in the village.

'Ooh, there tea! Can you pour me a cup, I'm exhausted!' She cried, flopping onto the nearest chair.

Her bag fell off her shoulder, as she reclined, making herself as comfortable as she could.

Neither of us said a word.

'We went right around the back fields. None of us noticed how far we walked. We were all too concerned about Ruth's news. You know she's betrothed to that shop boy, the shy one with the large spectacles.'

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Richard glance down at the table.

'Why are you being so peculiar? Cat got your tongue?' Clara teased.

'Something happened.' I said quietly.

Clara almost dropped her tea cup on the table.

'What? Did the bailiff come back? What about any guards?' Clara asked quickly.

'No, nothing to do with any of that.' I told her, forcing myself to put a smile on my face.

'Then what?'

Taking a deep breath, I finally managed to utter the words.

'We found a horse and rider on the path to the meadow. Alexander's with them now.'

Clara's face drained of all colour.

'Oh no! Were they dead?'

Richard chortled a little. Its sounded like somewhere between a cough and a sneeze.

'No, very much alive. In fact, she's knows Alexander quite well.'

Clara laughed a little.

'Which girl knows Alexander well? Isn't he saving himself for the oh so angelic Scarlett, who is all the way in Knox palace?'

'She's not there. She's on the path to the meadow right now.'

Clara's jaw dropped.

'Scarlett Knox, is here?!' She cried.

Richard nodded.

'She ran away.' He said softly. The first words he had spoken in hours.

'What? How? And why?' Clara asked, her eyes still wide with surprise.

'Oh, and that's not all.' Richard told her.

'There's more? How could one of the wealthiest girls in country just turn up at our doorstep, and that isn't the only news?' Clara exclaimed.

'We think they're betrothed.' I said bluntly.

For what may have been the first time in her life, Clara fell silent from shock.

It took her almost several minutes to digest the news, before quietly asking.

'What do you mean 'think'?'

'We didn't hear the actual words. But she was down on one knee.'

'She was down on one knee!' Clara screamed. 'Where the hell is Alexander? That's unacceptable! You can't let the girl do the proposing. She's supposed to be swept of her feet. He's got a lot to answer for.'

'Oh, don't we know.' I muttered.

'He's a disaster! He's fallen hopelessly in love with this girl, and he can't even propose right!' Clara cried.

'Indeed I have.' Came a voice from the doorway.

All three of us whipped our heads around to see our brother stood in the doorway, with the largest smile I think I'd ever seen plastered to his face.

And just behind him, someone else loitered just out of sight of where I was sitting. But I had a pretty strong idea of who exactly that was.

Clara stood up immediately.

'Alexander Brown, if this is true, I have never been more ashamed to call you family in my life!' She shouted. 'How could you let poor Scarlett do that?'

'Because I wanted to.' Came a higher voice from behind him. Alexander stepped back and let her stand in the doorway.

Clara was still staring at Alexander with such an intensity of disappointment that even I felt diminished.

As Scarlett finally came into sight, Alexander said with his voice full of pride.

'Everyone, I'd like to introduce my betrothed, Scarlett. Scarlett, you've already met Arry and Richard, but this is Clara.'

Scarlett beamed at my sister, and offered her hand forward to shake it, but Clara grasped it and pulled her towards herself.

'First; let me just apologise for my disgrace of a brother. He has let us all down by his behaviour. And trust me, I will work personally to see that he never does something so stupid again.'

'Well, hopefully he won't be proposing to anyone else ever again, so I don't think you have to worry about that.' Scarlett replied.

Clara's eyes widened slightly and then she glanced to Alexander.

'I like her. Don't screw up again.'

Alexander just held his hands up in defeat.

'It's perfectly alright.' Scarlett insisted. 'And it was a little sudden after all. And it is mostly my fault.'

Alexander scoffed.

'How is it anyone's fault? I want to marry you.'

Scarlett beamed at him.

'But the circumstances are a little rushed, and that's because of me.'

'How rushed is rushed exactly?' Clara asked carefully. 'We've already have one secret wedding in this family, and this time I want to have a proper one.'

'Is three days enough notice Clara?' Alexander asked.

Three days?

They were getting married in three days!

At least people could say that this sort of thing clearly runs in our family. We do like our secret and fast weddings to highborns.

'No! Not nearly enough time! Could you stretch it to a month?' Clara begged.

Scarlett looked at the ground and Alexander shook his head.

'Clara, there is sort of an urgent reason why Scarlett ran away from the palace. It can't be put on hold while you plan what flowers you'd like where.' Alexander told her. Clara only scoffed and stood in silent protest in the corner.

'Arry, is it alright if Scarlett has your old bed tonight? I don't know where else to put her. You aren't using it.' Alexander asked.

I snapped back into focus is Alexander addressed me. Of course Scarlett was going to have to stay here for the next few days. How had I not thought that far ahead.

'Yes of course. Take whatever you need.' I told her.

Scarlett smiled at me, the perfect picture of a blushing to be bride.

And the image felt like a stab of ice in my heart. The lump in my throat is managed to keep under control since she arrive now rose higher and higher.

'I'm sorry, please excuse me.' I begged, and made my way through the far door to the girls bedroom. I closed it behind me, and then bolted as fast as I could to the closer door of my new room. Tears were now welling in my eyes, as I thought about how happy she had looked.

And all I could think about was James. How happy he had looked when we had declared our love to each other, and those following weeks. We had been just like them, hopefully and content.

But look how it had all turned out. I was all alone here, doomed to spend the rest of my life loving a man I could never hold again. I could never kiss him, or tell him I loved him. And he couldn't love me anymore.

It was just too unfair. Why was it Scarlett and Alexander got to be his happy, and I had James ripped away from me in the cruelest way possible? What had I possibly done to deserve it? I had suffered time and time again, and no matter what I did, nothing ever seemed enough.

'Arry? Are you alright?' Came the familiar voice of my brother. I knew Alexander was stood right outside the door.

'Yes. Just give me some time alone.' I told him, trying to make my voice as calm as I could.

'Arry, please open the door.' Alexander asked.

'Go away. I need time.' I told him.

'I don't have time. I've left Scarlett alone with Clara and Richard. Who knows what might happen!' He joked through the wood.

I didn't reply, only slumped further down the wall.

'Arry, please. I know this must be upsetting, and the timing isn't perfect, but..'

'I'll say.' I shouted through the door. 'It's been a week Alexander! Only a week, and you stride in talking of weddings!'

'Please, I'm sorry Arry. You know we don't have time. We don't have long before Nerissa discovers Scarlett's gone. She's probably looking for her already. If she's going to escape, this needs to happen in the next few days. I can't change that.'

I knew he was right.

Of course he was right.

The timing couldn't be helped. And I had no doubt their feelings for each other couldn't be helped either.

It was just my own sadness getting in the way. I was the problem.

My brother was getting married! To a wonderful girl who he loved with all his heart. What sister should not be thrilled at the prospect. I was going to be gaining a lovely sister in law.

And yet I was still upset.

Eight months. I'd had eight months to try and get past this.

And what had I done?

Nothing.

'Arry, please just open the door.' Alexander begged.

I had no energy to fight him, and he knew that, so I slowly lifted my hand up to the latch and pushed it down.

Alexander pushed the door open, and slid through the small gap, before closing the door behind him and slumping down against the door like I was.

'I don't know what to say.' Alexander began, his head leaning back against the wood. 'She just appeared. No warning, no message. And when she spoke of her plan to escape, I just... just...'

I lifted my hand and stopped Alexander from continuing.

He didn't need to explain.

For I myself had experienced it.

James had told me of his mad plan to save me. While initially I had been to shocked to react much, I think part of me really did want to marry him. And we had only been courting for three days.

Whereas Alexander and Scarlett had been courting since the Ball, although their meetings had been few and far between.

Alexander was going through something similar to what I had. Marrying a highborn in haste to ensure someone's safety.

Things like that really do run in families.

'I understand. I really do. I think I will understand more than the others.' I told him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander nod.

'And I'm thrilled for you, I really am. Scarlett's a lovely girl-'

'Arry, stop. I know you're not. But that is alright. I shouldn't expect you to be alright with this. How could anyone expect you to?' My brother assured me.

'Because you're my brother, and-'

'I wasn't exactly understanding when James and you announced your engagement. So you are very justified in disproving.'

'But this is nothing like that. I do understand. I know why you want to marry her, and I know why it has to be now. It's just...'

'Just what?'

'It's painful.' I admitted. 'Everything about this just seems to familiar, and all I can think about is how much it hurt. About how much I miss him. And I know it's not fair to blame you for it, you deserve to be happy. It's just unfair that I can't be, and can never be.'

'Arry!' Alexander cried, and lift his arm so he could wrap it around my shoulder. Pulling me into him, I rested my head on his shoulder as he lent his on the top of my head.

'You will be happy again. You're only twenty-one years old. You have the rest of your life ahead of you.'

'That's what we thought about James. He was only twenty-four!' I cried.

Alexander seemed to realise his mistake and quietly cursed himself.

'I know. But you still have time. Hope is not lost. One day, it won't hurt as much.'

I swallowed the lump that was starting to gather in my throat.

In some ways, I didn't want it to stop hurting. Because I knew the moment it stopped hurting, I would begin to forget him. The pain I felt was the only thing keeping him tied to me.

'But the fact of the matter is, I am going to marry Scarlett in three days. And I can't do it if you aren't there. I need my big sister there. And I know it will be tough for you, but it would mean the world to me. Please Arry.' Alexander begged.

I scoffed a little.

'Of course I'm going to be there. I just might have to sit at the back'. I told him.

Alexander had given me away at my own wedding, even though he disproved. The least I could do was attend his and try to smile. He deserved that.

He deserved much more than that. My brother had been so strong, especially in those first few months back in Rault. He had taken care of everything, while I sat in bed and cried. I owed him so much.

'Good.' He said, releasing me from his arms. 'Now, I really have to get back to Scarlett. Who knows what Clara has said to her!'

He moved to stand, but I caught his hand.

'Scarlett is lovely. And I hope you two are very happy together. You deserve it.'

Alexander beamed at me.

'Well, it's nice to know I've got you on my side. I may need you to help explain to Bianca.'

I froze.

Bianca.

How in earth was she going to take this? She would be back in a few hours, and she was going to return to a house where her sister she hadn't seen in almost five years had run away and become betrothed to my brother.

Alexander needed all the help he could get.

'We'll see what we can do. But you may need to be prepared to run for your life.' I told him.

'I know. Scarlett already said as much.' He teased, before opening the door slightly and disappearing through it.

Well, I had to give her credit for know her sister well, despite not seeing her in five years.

The door shut behind him, and I slumped back against the wood.

I had to be better than this. I couldn't spend my entire life moping and crying.

My brother was getting married! My little brother had found a wonderful girl and was marrying her in three days. I should be thrilled. My friend was going to be reunited with her sister, and everyone else was happy for them.

I had to try.

Too long I'd been allowed to just sit and cry. I'd made no effort to try and help myself. I'd only ever found distractions, things to occupy my time to stop the pain. I'd never actually confronted it, never tried to get past it.

But for my family, I had to.

For my brother, who had done so much for me, I had to.

James would have been thrilled at the news. I could almost picture him clapping Alexander on the back and wishing him the best of luck, those beautiful forest green eyes alight with life.

If James would be happy, Why was I not?

Pushing myself off the ground, I straightened my dress and took a deep breath.

I had to do this. I had to realise my unhappiness would affect Alexander, and that was not acceptable. He deserved to have his entire family throughly supporting him.

I had to.

And so, I pulled open the door, and went to greet my soon to be sister in law, with not an entirely fake smile on my face.

* * *

Hours later, the sky began to grow dark, and Scarlett was pacing.

Back and forth down our little cottage, she moved, whilst muttering under her breath.

'What do I say? What do I do? How am I supposed to act? Will she want to see me.'

'Scar, don't worry.' Alexander said, taking her hand. 'Your sister thinks the world of you.'

He then muttered something that none of the rest of us could hear, but it made Scarlett blush.

Daniel in the corner rolled his eyes at the two of them. It felt odd seeing Daniel and Alexander's positions almost reversed. Daniel was normally the one talking to girls, and Alexander to one in the corner rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of our brother. But it had been a strange day for everyone, the entire thing was bizarre.

Gwen and Robbie had already gone to bed. Gwen had been so excited when she met Scarlett, and proceeded to blab about all the time Alexander had gone on and on about her, making Alexander red in the face. She and Robbie had been delighted that they were getting a new sister.

Tom too had been very happy at the news, but far more polite about it. He had tried to be a real gentleman, and even bowed slightly to her, saying she was a lady, so we should. Scarlett found it rather sweet.

Daniel had welcomed Scarlett into the family by teasing her as much as he teased the rest of us, which at first shocked her, but then she seemed to understand it was a sign of affection, and not malice.

Scarlett had managed meeting most of the Browns in one afternoon, quite a feat in itself. But the one introduction she was not ready for, was from her own side of the family.

Bianca was due back any moment, at least that's what the birds told us. Scarlett too had the gift, and could comprehend what exactly they were saying.

Five years. Almost five years of running and hiding. And while Bianca was quite safe now, living with us, her sister had not heard a word from her. I think out of fear of Nerissa. Alexander had mentioned briefly to her to join him on his next trip to see Scarlett, but she had declined. The idea of going back to somewhere so close to the palace frightened her, especially since the increase in guards. And no one could blame her for it.

But now...

Scarlett clearly was terrified at the thought of seeing her sister again after so long. She had been only a child when Bianca had left, leaving her in the power of her stepmother. The power she only escaped hours before.

'Scarlett, please stop worrying. It will be fine.' Alexander assured her.

She released a long breath, and my brother took her hand in his and threaded his fingers through hers, before raising her hand to his lips to bestow a light kiss on the back of it.

I tried not to flinch at the gesture. It was what James had...

But I had to stop thinking that way.

Today was not about me. It was about Scarlett and Alexander. Now was not the time to be selfish.

Just then, the sound of footsteps outside the cottage caused Scarlett to freeze.

'I...I... What do I...' She stuttered.

Without saying a word, I nodded to Alexander and rose from my chair.

Bianca was my friend, and I owed it to the new couple to make this as easy as possible.

I made my way to the door, and swiftly ran through it, shutting it firmly behind me.

''Marion?' Bianca asked, stood just outside the door. 'Are you alright?'

I was taken a back by her question, until she said, 'You look pale. Like you've seen a ghost.'

I shook my head.

'I'm fine. But there is something I need to tell you.' I said.

'Can we go inside first, I'm parched.' She asked.

Once again I shook my head. Bianca looked at me curiously in surprise.

'There's... something happened today... and well...'I tried to find the words to explain it. To try and soften the blow slightly, but everything seemed to evade me.

'What happened? Guards? That damned Bailiff again?' Bianca's asked.

'No.' I assured her.

'We found... there was a rider who arrived today. She's inside the cottage now.'

'Oh, should I hide?' Bianca asked, suddenly dropping her voice to a whisper.

'No, she knows who you are.' I said.

'Oh.' Bianca said, with a very confused look on her face.

'She came to see Alexander. But she also came to see you.'

At that Bianca's eyes seemed to widen with understanding.

Her mouth dropped open slightly and I could have sworn I saw silver misting the corner of her eyes.

'Scar?' she whispered. 'Scar's here?'

I nodded.

'Yes. She ran away.'

Bianca looses a sound that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a sob, before taking a step towards the door. I moved out of the way, or I was sure I would have been pushed.

Bianca threw open the door and froze.

For there, across the room staring at her, was Scarlett, smiling slightly at her sister.

The two sisters just stared at each other for a long moment. Five years of longing passed between them in those few moments.

When they were so close, it was impossible not to see the similarities. Their eyes were the same, and their face shape. Bianca had a narrower nose than Scarlett, and Scarlett had slightly softer cheekbones. But it was obvious to everyone that they were sisters.

I just stood outside the door and watched them stare at each other. I didn't know what I would have done in this situation, if I'd been separated from one of my siblings for almost five years.

I was not exactly sure which one of them moved first, but it's didn't seem to matter, they both ran at each other with open arms. Scarlett loosed what sounded like a sob as her sister held her tightly.

'Scar?' Bianca said, her voice breaking.

'Bea.' Scarlett replied, her head resting on her sisters shoulder.

I don't think I'd ever seen two people embrace as tightly as they did in that moment.

'Oh! I can't believe you're here!' Bianca cried.

'I can't believe you're alive! And safe.' Scarlett replied, tears streaming from her eyes.

I could help but beam at the two of them. Here, finally, after all this time; they were reunited.

In our small poor cottage. The daughters of a Duke. And our soon to be family.

Alexander coughed slightly, and the Browns seemed to burst into action. Tom, Richard, Clara, Daniel and Alexander all quickly filed out of the door, leaving the two sisters alone. After all they had suffered, they deserved to have a reunion without us disturbing them.

They all joined me outside, and Alexander closed the door softly behind him.

'Well, now what?' Daniel asked impatiently.

'I would suggest, that you four,' Alexander told him, pointing to Tom, Richard Clara and Daniel, 'Take a short walk through the forest. Go up to the meadow and back. Come back in an hour.'

'But it's almost dark.' Tom complained.

'Then go and make a bonfire somewhere.' Alexander said a little rashly. I could tell that he was on edge. But I wasn't surprised. After what Bianca had said to James when he had told her of our marriage, Alexander was right to be scared when it came to her own sister.

'And what precisely will you and Marion be doing?' Clara asked.

'Waiting. Scarlett asked me to wait.' Alexander told her.

'What about Marion?' She replied.

'I'm asking her to wait with me.' Alexander said, turning to me.

'Please,' he muttered under his breath, 'if there's any trouble with Bianca, I know you can handle her.'

I nodded. Of course I wasn't going to let him face Bianca alone. Although she was my closest friend, I knew that she could be difficult.

Daniel finally admitted defeat, and the four of them disappeared down the path in search of something to do.

And that left Alexander and myself, sat on the grass outside our own house. He started tearing the grass up by its roots, clearly trying to take out some of his nervousness on the poor plants.

'I'm sure it's going to be alright.' I tried to assure him.

'I know. I know it will be, but Bianca hasn't always been my biggest supporter, and I doubt this will make her like me any more.' He confided in me.

'I wouldn't be so sure.'

'Why?'

'Because you are doing this, not just because you love Scarlett, but because it will save her from Nerissa's grasp. Bianca surely can't object to that. And besides, after she's spent a few hours in the same room as the two of you, even she will admit that you make each other happy, and are perfectly matched.' I told him.

Alexander blushed a little, and turned his gaze to the ground.

'Truly?' He asked.

I was about to nod when the door behind us was flung wide open, and an angry looking Bianca stood in the doorway.

Both of us scrambled to our feet as Bianca strode towards us.

'What... the... hell are you playing at?' She cried, cornering my brother. Scarlett ran out of the cottage behind her and tried to pull at her arm, but Bianca shook her off.

'I'm not playing at anything.' Alexander admitted.

'Bea, it's all my fault. I ran away and-' Scarlett tried to tell her, but Bianca cut her off.

'Preying on desperate girls now? Wait till she's at her weakest point and then propose!'

'But, I didn't-' Alexander started.

'Bianca Knox, leave my betrothed alone and listen to me!' Scarlett demanded in a tone I didn't think she was capable of.

All of us froze.

Scarlett marched right past her sister, which was quite a feat in itself, and grabbed a hold of Alexander's hand.

'I proposed to him. This entire thing was my idea. I want to marry Alex. The only thing I've ever wanted more is to see you again.' Scarlett pleaded with her sister.

'I love him. And I know it's all rushed, and the circumstances are not ideal, but I know I'm going to be happy for the rest of my life with him. Bea, I've been alone in that palace for so long, let me have this that she can't take away from me. So please, please be happy for me. '

All of us stood stunned at Scarlett's speech.

Alexander gazed at his soon to be wife with all the adoration he possessed. But Scarlett just stared pleadingly at her sister. Bianca hadn't let her eyes leave Scarlett.

And I was once again on the outside, unsure of my place, and all alone.

'Bea, please. You've lived here for months You know what Alex is like. You must know how much he cares for me. He's going to save me from Nerissa's influence. And you're already one of the family here. This will just make it more official!' She teased.

Bianca still didn't want to move.

So, I took a small step towards my friend.

'Might we go and talk somewhere?' I asked her quietly.

Bianca didn't say anything in response, but nodded her head slightly.

I took her arm, and slowly began to pull her away, around to he far side of the house. It was like she was entranced, or just shocked.

We eventually made it out of sight of the happy couple, and I turned to Bianca.

'Look, if it's any consolation, I also wasn't too thrilled when I heard earlier.' I told her.

Bianca looked up to me.

'It... it brought back a lot of memories,' I clarified.

She nodded.

'But, in the every short time I've seen the two of them together, I could not picture a more perfectly suited couple. You must see how they adore each other.' I tried to reason.

Bianca scoffed.

'And you've known how Alexander felt about her. You've known since the day in the Manor. Surely you must see that Scarlett feels the same way. You know Alexander is a good person, and would never do anything to hurt her. He's doing this to protect her, he would do anything to protect her.' I said.

'She's not yet nineteen! How could she possibly know what she wants?' Bianca cried.

'It's better than Nerissa's alternative of locking her away with a husband who mistreats her, would you prefer that?' I retaliated.

Bianca's head fell forwards into her hands, as she tried to comprehend everything. It must have been a tough few minutes for her.

'She's hardly more than a child.' Bianca said.

'I don't think she's been a child since the day you ran away. Only she knows what Nerissa has done to her in that time. I think Scarlett may be more grown up than you give her credit for.'

Bianca slumped forward slightly, her shoulders curling in.

'I know. I know you mean well Marion, but this is my little sister. And I know that you are reasonable and logical, but... this is all... just too much. It's Scarlett, getting married, and I've only just seen her again.' Bianca cried.

I took a step forward and embraced my friend.

'I know it's difficult. It's been a rough day for me too. But, if you think about it, we'll be officially sisters by the end of the week.' I said, trying to cheer her up.

Bianca nodded against my shoulder, but I could tell she still wasn't thrilled about it. However, despite that, she had seemed to accept it, a small miracle in itself.

'Scarlett and Alexander Brown.' She muttered. 'I hope they know what they're doing. Nerissa will not like it one bit.'

I shrugged. What more could their stepmother do to them. She had already tried to kill Bianca, and threatened to lock Scarlett away with a husband. With both of them out of the palace and hidden away, how else could she hurt them. Surely they would be free to live their own life.

And while it should have been the furtherest thing from my mind, I couldn't help but think back to the night when they had met. That fateful Ball.

I still had the piece of paper that Lady Annette had given me all those months ago. The one with a line connecting Alexander's name to Scarlett's, in the same way I had a line connecting me to James. If it had seemed important then; now all the pieces had fit into place.

He had known. Somehow, months in advance, that damned faerie had known this was going to happen.

Sometimes, I wondered if he had known about James too. And if he had, why had he made me marry him and fall in love. Why had he caused me all this heartache. What could possibly be the reason for it all. And the fact that I was probably never going to know irritated me to no end.

Bianca finally pulled away from my embrace and blinked.

'I just can't believe that she's here. And getting married! This is my baby sister, I still remember the day she was born.'

I nodded. It was odd for me too, to see Alexander betrothed. But he was Twenty years old, as old as I was when I was married.

'I know. It will be strange for the both of us. But the important thing is that hey are happy, and she is safe. She ran away from the palace to come here, so I think that must prove how exactly she feels.'

Bianca sighed.

'Nerissa got what she wanted.' She muttered. 'Even if she can't control Scar, she's out of he way. Maybe this was her plan the entire time, to drive us both away so she could claim everything.'

I considered it for a moment.

'No, I don't think that could be it. She knows she needs you, your family name to hold onto power. I think she always meant to control Scarlett, and this will put a nice dent in her plans.' I told her.

Bianca sighed again.

'Let's hope so. And let's hope that the next few days go smoothly. Now, if you'll excuse me, my sister and I have a lot of catching up to do.' Bianca said, grinning slightly.

I knew she was excited that Scarlett was here, more than she let on. I think after so long of hiding and being kept a secret, it was nice for her to have someone actually want to see her. She deserved that.

My friend deserved the world. After everything she had been put through, she finally deserved something to go right for her. And I thought her sister was just what she needed.

Scarlett and Bianca, reunited once more.

For a very special wedding.

A wedding that would change everything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two.**

 **Three and a half months later.**

It had been exactly a year.

A year to the day.

A year since the darkest day of my life.

The day my entire world had turned upside down.

And now, I stood looking at the most upsetting sight of my life.

The bouquet of flowers I had brought was clenched tightly in my hand as I stared at the area before me.

And at the unfeeling grey stone.

The wind whipped my hair over my face with its fresh autumn breeze, but it couldn't block out the sight before me.

There it was, exactly the same as the last time I had seen it. More lichen grew on the corner, showing its age, and making my heart sink.

If that was the state of the stone, I knew I would be far worse underneath.

Where the coffin lay.

James's remains lay just below my feet, so close to me and yet so far. It had been exactly a year since the last time I had seen those beautiful forest green eyes, or that dashing smug smile, or that slightly too long and curling hair.

It had been a year since I had seen him.

And the pain had not disappeared. Every morning I still awoke and there thought of him not here with me was like a stab to my chest.

A year since my husband, and the love of my life was taken from me. A year since I had held him in my arms and watched as he took his last breath. A year since I had screamed in agony, clinging to his unmoving body.

It was both a distant memory and ever present.

With a shaking hand, I lowered the bouquet of flowers to the soft green grass and released them. They tumbled down, bouncing slightly as they hit the earth.

'Hello James.' I whispered softly to the stone.

I knew he couldn't hear me. I knew it was all pointless. But there was still some small part of me that wanted to speak to him, the way we had done before. They way we had been so happy to do.

Glancing down to the writing, I saw the date etched forcibly into the stone.

 _10th of September._

That damned day.

It seemed to taunt me, knowing the influence that day would have over the rest of my life. They way I could never be happy on that day ever again.

'I don't know what to say. I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything, or what to tell you.'

My eyes refused to move off the name carved into the stone before me.

'All the other widows in the village are old, so they don't talk to me much. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do.' I admitted.

No one was around. And no one could hear me. I knew I must have been mad to think that somehow he could still hear me, wherever he was. But some small part of me knew I had to say something to him.

It felt too odd to be so close to him and not say anything.

'It's been a year. A horrid year really.' I said. 'But there have been some good things. Alexander got married, just a few months ago. He married Scarlett, you know, Bianca's sister. She wasn't too impressed. If possible, she was worse than she was with us. But they are so happy now. Alexander reminds me of how I was when you were here.'

Just the thought of it made my heart ache.

'Oh, and Ella had her baby. We heard, even though I'm not speaking to her still. A little girl, named after her mother. Eleanor Cecily Howards, I think. You would have had another godchild.' I told him.

Silence was the only response I got.

Always silence.

'And Philip married the princess. I was invited, can you believe that? They invited me to a royal wedding. I didn't go. I don't think I could have faced it. But from what I heard from Antony, it was a lovely celebration, and Philip was smacked around the head for disappearing. I know you said you wanted to do that, but...'

I didn't know how to finish the sentence.

There were so many thing he had missed. So much he has wanted to do. Too many things he hadn't been given the chance to.

'However, on the whole, it's been a rather terrible year.'

I sniffled a bit at that admission.

'I miss you. More and more every day. And I'd give anything for you to be able to reply to me right now. Just so I could see you again. I wonder if you'd want to see me.'

I brushed away a small tear that had collected in the corner of my eye.

'A year is too long. The rest of my life is too long. It's just all so unfair.' I cried. 'I want to see you now. I wanted to have you by my side every day for the past year. I wanted to celebrate our anniversary together. But we never got to do any of those things. Those three and a half months were not enough time James, they really weren't.'

The lump in my throat began to rise as I spoke. I knew I had to leave soon. Any longer here would make me break down, and then how was I to get home?

'Anyway, I just... in here because... I...I...'

I swallowed.

'I need you here today. And you're not. But I just had to tell you I loved you, and love you still. And nothing will ever change that.'

Nodding to the unmoving and silent stone, I reached forward and touched it softly. The grey stone was ice cold under my hand, and felt of death.

Stepping back, I made to turn around but something else caught my eye.

Something pulled me towards the stone that lay not beside it, but the next one.

Staring at it, I couldn't believe I had never noticed it before. It was not as recent at James's and the one next to him, which happened to be his father.

But instead, a familiar name stood out in swirling letters.

 _Grace Elizabeth Thorne._

 _Beloved mother_.

James's mother was here. She lay next to her husband and her son.

There was no heartfelt message of love, only 'beloved mother.' From what James had told me about his parents relationship, I knew I shouldn't have been surprised by it.

But she was here. Right here.

The woman who had raised James. The woman he spoke so highly of, and had made his childhood a happy one.

The person who had loved him long before I had ever laid eyes on him.

The mother he has loved with all his heart.

Taking a tentative step forward towards, I approached her grave. She had been dead for thirteen years, if the dates on the stone were correct. She too had been young, only thirty two when she had died.

Although I never met her, I imagined she was the one who gave James his beautiful green eyes. And most of his features. And he had certainly learned his kindness from her.

I smiled slightly as I approached her.

'Hello. I'm Marion.' I told the ground beneath my feet.

'We never met, but I was your daughter in law. And I loved your son very much. More than words can say.' I admitted to her.

Sighing, I crouched down so I was parallel with the stone.

'I just wanted you to know that you raised a good young man, who was kind and brave, and always did what was right. And I hope with all my heart that the two of you have been reunited. He deserves to have someone who loves him. If you are with him, tell him to wait for me. And I hope you will too.'

Talking to the dead might seem a pointless waste of time to everyone else, but it was just something I had to do. I had to keep talking to him, to keep him there.

Bianca was right, it was so impossibly hard to keep him alive in my heart. The moments when I forgot about him, even for a second made me feel guilty.

And today was particularly hard. No one had ever told me what it was going to be like, having to endure the first anniversary of my husbands death. Only my father had lived though something similar, and now I realised how strong he had been.

He'd somehow managed to still look after eight children after mother had died. He had found the strength to get out of bed in the morning, and to laugh with us, and to live without her. He'd been more withdrawn after her death, but he had still been present in our lives.

I knew for a fact I had not been. Those first few months, I had done nothing but sit in my room and sob.

My father had suffered much, he had lost his wife of eighteen years. I'd lost my husband of three and a half months.

I wished I had his strength, or at least knew how he had managed to cope with it all.

Standing up from the previous Lady Thorne's grave, I glanced one last time at the stone that marked where James lay.

I had to accept he was gone. I had to somehow get through this.

So, finally turning away, I made my way to the edge of the graveyard, to where a bored looking chestnut mare stood.

'Time to go back.' I told her, brushing her soft mane. Taking the reins, I unfastened her, and swung myself up onto her back.

I had learnt to ride in the past few months. Scarlett's horse, Penny, had joined the family. And I'd been slowly working out how to ride her ever since. I now saw why many highborns learnt to ride. It's was so convenient and fast, and I much preferred it to walking, even if I did get a little saddle sore.

Clicking my tongue, we began to walk away from the graveyard, and I stole one final look at James. Some part of me thought I could almost make him out, leaning against the stone with his arms crossed in front of him with that same smug smile on his face. But it was just my imagination.

Penny began to speed up and I was forced to face forward as we entered the forest. It took several hours to arrive in Arton by foot, but just under an hour with Penny. We trotted through the familiar green scenery, my mind preoccupied with thoughts of a handsome green eyed man.

It didn't take long for Rault to emerge through the trees. The familiar cottage lay just at the bottom of the hill, as it always had. In the distance I could see the tiny new house that our family now owned, inhabited by the newly wed Alexander and Scarlett. We had used what we had saved from the money bags and what treasures Scarlett had managed to smuggle out of the palace to buy it. I was the only one in the family that knew how much newly weds needed their own space, and especially away from nine and eleven year old Gwen and Robbie.

They had been married just under four months ago, on the penultimate day of May. It was a lovely ceremony, and Scarlett looked radiant. She wore a highborn dress she had packed in her bag, and Clara had threaded white flowers through her fire red hair. We dressed Bianca up in one of my dresses and called her Blanche all day, just so the priest wouldn't recognise her. He didn't so much as give her a second thought as she sat at the back with me, keeping her head down.

It was good for her, I thought, to be able to see it. She had been barred from so much of Scarlett's life, it was good she got to see her wedding day.

I however, hadn't managed to make it through the entire ceremony. Once the words 'death till us part,' were spoken, I had to excuse myself and take a moment outside.

It was too similar; the hidden secret wedding, the need for the urgency, the people involved. It all was just too much.

But I had managed to get a hold of myself and rejoin the ceremony. It was my brother's wedding day, I had to push past it for him. He had done so much for me, I owed it to him.

They were now very happily living in the new house, nearby, leaving the remain seven Browns and Bianca in our old cottage.

Daniel had once joked that in our cottage now was the lost Duchess, and her seven companions, and that we sounded like something out of a folk tale.

Pulling Penny to a halt just outside the cottage, I dismounted and began to tie her up against the fence when the door suddenly burst open. The wood slammed against the brick of the house and a very worried looking Clara appeared, her eyes wide.

'Marion! You're finally back. Come quick!' She cried, pulling at my arm.

With my free hand, I secure the rope before Clara pulled me around the door frame.

'What? What is it?' I demanded, my panic rising with every second.

Clara shoved me forward, and I stumbled inside to see Bianca sat at the table, her head held in her hands. Richard had one arm around her, apparently comforting her. Scarlett was there too, in Alexander's arms, and she appeared to be weeping.

I stood in shock.

'What happened?' I asked again.

Bianca looked up to me, her eyes red and raw.

'Nerissa retaliated.' She said simply.

My heart stopped.

'What did she do?' I asked slowly, but Bianca had turned her face away from me to stare at the ground.

It was Alexander from the corner of the room who spoke.

'She arrested several people in Ellerton, on the charge of conspiring with outlaws.' He explained.

'Of conspiring with me.' Bianca interrupted, though her voice sounded defeated.

Alexander patiently waited for her to finish.

'Bianca went there this morning, to deliver her usual aid, and discovered that Nerissa had...not only arrested...but...'

My brother couldn't seem to find the words to continue, so Scarlett spoke.

'And...executed them. Three men hung this morning.'

I froze.

She had killed people. Innocent people who had done no more than take what Bianca had offered them.

And she had murdered them for it. Killed in cold blood because she couldn't kill her step daughter.

What sort of monster was she?

'How? She can't... there's no way that...'

'Yes there is. She is the Duchess, she can arrest who she like, and carry out punishment without trial.' Alexander explained.

I moved slowly towards my friend, my heart still frozen in shock.

'Oh...Bea...'I said softly, placing my hand gently on her shoulder.

I could see the tears now falling from her eyes.

Three innocent men. Their lives; gone.

What of their families, what of their grieving loved ones. Left alone in the world for no reason at all. I knew what that was like more than others.

'They...they were good men.' Bianca managed to utter. 'And they're... dead because of me.'

'No, it's all Nerissa, this is all her doing. ' I insisted.

'She did it because of me. How can I face them? They'll suffer all the more if I can't get the money to them, but I can never see them again.' Bianca cried. Her shoulder shook with the force of her sobs.

Wrapping my arms around her, I held my friend as she sobbed.

I was still in shock, that Nerissa would do such a thing to hurt her. She killed people! Innocent people who deserved so much better. She had murdered them.

And so, I held on as my friend grieved.

* * *

Hours later, I sat by the fire, stirring the stew pot. Bianca had retreated down to her room and her sister had stayed there with her. There was little else we could do but try and support her.

Even I had shed a tear or two at the shear sorrow I felt for those poor men, and the revulsion I felt for Nerissa. The monster.

How could anyone order the death of anyone else? How could anyone even consider it?

I always knew she was evil, but I never thought she would ever do...such a...

I couldn't find the words to express my pure and utter hatred of her in that moment. And I had never met the woman. I could only imagine what Bianca was experiencing.

She had tried so hard to help, to do something for those people who were suffering under her stepmothers command. And look where it had led.

Alexander had gone to get some night clothes for Scarlett, as she appeared to be staying at this house tonight. Her sister needed her.

Daniel and Clara had fallen into silence as they chopped the vegetables for dinner. Even the little ones hadn't gone out to play, they just sat in their rooms reading or occupying themselves.

No one really knew what to do or say. How could there be anything we could say to make this better? When such a horrid thing happened, what could possibly make it better.

We couldn't even assure Bianca of some sort of Justice. As a Duchess, Nerissa seemed beyond it, doing as she pleased. No one dared stand up to her.

No justice, no consolation, just more and more evil and torment.

I thought I had hated the faerie that had cursed my family, but that paled in comparison to the anger I felt towards Nerissa. Killing people to get back at her stepdaughters.

Bianca and Scarlett hadn't even done anything wrong, they were simply the rightful heirs. It was not their fault as to who their father was. They had been in her way, and she had tried to kill them for it.

How could anyone become so despicable?

I had been dreading this day enough, and now, this just made everything infinitely worse. The 10th of September would now claim the lives of more people.

My foul mood festered as I sat staring at the flames of the hearth.

Nothing seemed good anymore. This was the world I lived in, where people were killed for no reason at all, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. What was the point of any of it anymore.

I actually felt sick with the anger I was feeling. How could she?

I wanted to kill her in that moment, she more than deserved it. She had tried to murder Bianca, torn Scarlett away from her, had tried to marry off Scarlett to an abusive situation, and now had killed innocent people because her stepdaughters had outsmarted her.

I wanted her gone. I wanted to plunge a dagger into her cold unfeeling heart. I wanted to see her blood run cold across the floor. I didn't care if that made me as bad as her, I wanted her dead.

The trapdoor to the cellar clicked open, and Scarlett emerged, pushing herself up the final step.

'How is she?' I asked softly, glancing to my sister in law.

She pointed behind her, and I noticed Bianca's raven hair begin to move as she too climbed out of the trapdoor.

'I'm...I'm...' Bianca started.

'I'm furious.' She declared finally, her eyes alight with the flame of the hearth.

'And I've decided, I can no longer sit and hide, and do nothing. I can't let her continue to hurt people, my people! My father wanted me to protect them, he trained me for it my entire life, and I have done nothing.'

Bianca walked to the fireplace, and picked up the fire poker.

Both Scarlett and me watched her with weary eyes.

'I ran away, to save my own sorry skin. I abandoned them. I failed them. And it's got to stop.' She said.

'How?' I asked quietly.

Bianca rotated the fire poker carefully in her hand, before suddenly thrusting it into the heart of the fire, scattering the ashes and soot.

'We strike.' She declared.

I sat there shocked.

She wanted to fight back.

She wanted to kill her as well. And while I didn't doubt her intentions, I was more realistic as how she was going to accomplish this.

'But... Bea...' I started. 'How? You've been in hiding for years. You can't just walk up to the palace and demand to see her. She'll kill you on sight.'

Bianca slowly placed down the fire poker, and I saw Scarlett let out a small sigh of relief.

'I don't care. She has to pay. I have to make her pay.' Bianca said through gritted teeth.

'No.' I said quietly, but forcefully.

Both sisters whipped their heads around to stare at me.

'What?' Bianca asked, astounded.

'No. I won't let you go.' I told her, in a louder voice.

The sentiment settled inside me, and my resolve hardened.

'I'm not asking permission.' Bianca cried.

'Don't go. You can't.' I retaliated.

'Marion? She has to pay.' Scarlett added. 'She can't continue.'

'You can't go. Please don't go.' I shouted at them.

'Marion, I have to. Why are you so against this?'

Both of them stared at me like it just asked her to reward Nerissa with a kiss.

'No!' I almost screamed.

'Marion! I'm going whether you like it or not.' Bianca shouted back.

Scarlett took a hesitant step between the two of us.

'You can't. Please...no.' I told her.

'Why? Why are you against justice? Why are you against making that bitch pay? She killed people, my people.'

I felt tears stinging the corner of my eyes as I turned away from the two sisters.

'Because I can't lose anyone else.I can't do that again.' I admitted, before standing from my chair, and running towards my bedroom door.

Leaving a bewildered looking Bianca and Scarlett behind me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Slumping onto my bed, I felt the first tears roll down my cheek.

I didn't know what to think, what to say.

How could I talk to Bianca about this? How could I make her understand?

Of course I wanted to see Justice, of course I wanted Nerissa punished, and of course I wanted to see Bianca restored to her rightful place. What person wouldn't? What friend wouldn't?

But...I'd lost too much.

Bianca was my closest friend, and sister in law. I truly loved her the way I loved all my family. And she had been the greatest friend to me, particularly in this past year. I don't know how I would have coped without her. Chances are, I wouldn't have.

She deserved justice. She deserved to see that bitch pay.

But I couldn't stomach the thought of her fighting.

What if something went wrong. What if she too was taken from me. Nerissa has tried to kill her many times before, what if she succeeded this time?

I couldn't do it. There would be no coming back from losing her. I might as well have been dead.

After my parents, and James, I just couldn't lose anyone else in my family.

The thought of grieving for her terrified me more than anything else. I'd only just stopped sobbing every night over James, and I had no desire to be back in that state.

Having experienced the greatest loss of my life, I never wanted to go through that ever again. Even the idea of it terrified me.

I just couldn't lose her. She needed to be safe. And she was safe hiding here with us.

I was going to go mad with worry if she was out there, fighting for her birthright. I wouldn't be able to sleep, I didn't think I'd be able to breathe.

I'd be frozen in terror.

A small knock came at the door and my head snapped up to stare at the noise.

'Marion?' Came a soft voice.

I continued to stare at the door. I didn't know how exactly to react. Bianca was probably, rightfully, pissed off with me. But it didn't sound like her voice on the other side of the door.

'Marion, may I come in?'

At that, I recognised Scarlett's voice, and mumbled my consent.

The door swung open, and Scarlett quickly entered before closing the door behind her quickly.

We both waited in silence for a few moment, before Scarlett took a hesitant step towards me.

'Marion, I know this is difficult...' she began, seeming to struggle trying to find the words to finish.

I simply sat and waited for her to continue.

'But, you have to understand. Nerissa killed them. They were innocent men, and she murdered them. I knew Mr Joynce, and Mr Dixon. They were...so nice and lovely... and always had a smile... and now... they're gone.'

'Scarlett, please-'

'She killed them. She can't get away with it!' Scarlett interrupted.

'Scarlett, trust me. No one knows more about how horrible it is to lose someone you love.' I told her.

Scarlett nodded, her eyes misting over slightly with tears.

Patting the space next to me, I gestured for her to come and sit. She did so.

'I...I truly...I hate Nerissa.' I told her blatantly.

Scarlett scoffed a little.

'We all do. Which is why we have to stand up to her.'

I nodded, but then glanced to the floor.

'I know. I know someone has to stand up to her. But...why does it have to be Bianca?'

'Why?' Scarlett cried, astonished.

I looked up to her, and she lifted her arms in the air in exasperation.

'Bea and I have to fight back. She killed our father, she killed our people. We are supposed to look after them, and instead we've both abandoned them to her to save ourselves. The Duchess title is Bianca's birthright. She deserves it.' Scarlett explained.

I shook my head slightly, as I realised she had not caught my meaning.

'No, I know all of that. And I understand, I really do. But Scarlett... I can't lose anyone else.' I admitted.

Scarlett waited patiently for me to continue.

'I've spent the last year crawling out of the darkest time in my life. I loved James with all my heart, and he was ripped away from me while I could do nothing but stand by and watch. Imagine if you had to watch Alexander die before you.'

Scarlett paled a little at my speech.

'I've had my parents and my husband all die before me. And I'm not strong enough to endure it again. If I have to stand by Bianca's coffin...'

I found myself unable to complete that sentence.

Scarlett slowly placed her hand on my shoulder.

'It would kill me too, if she was hurt.' Scarlett said. 'I've only just got her back, and she's all the family from my childhood I have left.'

I nodded. I knew how heartbroken I would be if I'd been separated from only one of my siblings, let alone the only sibling.

'I wouldn't be able to stand by her coffin either.' Scarlett assured me, 'But...'

'I know.' I told her. 'I know this stupid fear is irrational and goes against logic. Nerissa needs to pay for what she has done. I understand that. Stars above, I used to think Lady Kingston was the height of evil!' I exclaimed.

I recalled how willing to stand up to her I had been. How much I had wanted to pay for what she had done to Ella and to me. And she hadn't even killed anyone, just been unfair.

Nerissa was so much worse. A powerful murderess with no remorse and no compassion.

She needed to be brought to justice for those poor men, and for what Bianca and Scarlett had suffered at her hand.

I knew this was true. My heart knew that someone had to fight against her.

But all I could think about was the agony that had torn through my very being as James took his final breath. How much it had hurt when I clung to his lifeless form, screaming and begging him to come back.

I couldn't face the possibility of that with Bianca. Not again. Never again.

I wasn't strong enough to endure it.

'Marion, I know that it's hard. It hard for me too, to let Bianca do this. But you know she has to. She has to be the one to bring her down. After all this time, after all this suffering, Bianca has to put it to right. No one else will. You know she is a fighter, she's been fighting her since the moment our father died. She has to do this.'

Sighing, I covered my face with my hands.

'But You can't promise she will be safe.'

'No, of course I can't. No one ever accomplished anything by being safe. Nothing changes if everyone plays it safely. She will be in danger, but it's a risk she is willing to take, to make sure our people are safe.'

Scarlett seemed to struggle to find words to continue.

'I know that you are a lady... but you weren't always one. At the palace...our father...he taught us that our responsibilities were to our people. Our lives were not our own, they were only to serve others, to ensure their safety and freedom. It was a small price to pay for all the wealth and status we had been born into. I was little more than a child when he died, and when Bea left. I was alone, and had to navigate the grown up world of her court by myself. I had no one to guide me, but even I could tell that what she was doing was wrong. I kept my head down, just trying to survive long enough to see Bianca again. And I now see how that was the cowards choice. I should have been challenging her, stopping her every move.'

'You were only fourteen, there was nothing more you could do!' I reasoned.

Scarlett shook her head.

'That might have been true when I was young, but these past few years, I know I could have done something. And now... those men are dead because I couldn't stand up to her.'

Scarlett turned fully to face me, shifting on the bed slightly.

'I love Alex, more than anyone else in the world. And I don't regret marrying him for a second. These last few months with your family have been the happiest days I've had in a long time. But I do regret abandoning my people, Bianca 's people, my father's people. And the fact that Bianca is going to do what I should have done and bring her to justice...I will be forever grateful to her for that. And she will have my undying support, not just for being my sister, but for protecting those who need it when I couldn't.'

I sat unmoving after Scarlett's speech.

I hardly knew what to think, what to feel.

'And I too, am terrified of what might happen to her. But I know that she will regret it for the rest of her life if she doesn't. I know I regret those five years.' Scarlett told me.

Taking a deep breath, the truth of it finally settled inside me.

Bianca was going whether I liked it or not. She was too good to sit back and do nothing. She would hate herself, and come to resent me if she didn't go. If she didn't at least try.

Nerissa would win if Bianca didn't stand up to her. She would have achieved everything she wanted, and live content with her selfish murdering self.

'Bianca will be fighting her, but I know it would mean the world to her if you were there by her side.' Scarlett told me.

My head snapped up to stare at her.

'Don't look so surprised. Bea wants your approval more than anything. And if you don't go with her, she'd want to know that you at least supported her.'

'Oh, I'm going.' I scoffed.

Now it was Scarlett's turn to look surprised.

I knew that what she had said made sense. If I ever had the need to do anything as crazy as this, I would have wanted Bianca's support more than anything. She was the rock I had clung to, my closest friend through all my troubles.

'If Bianca's going on this suicide mission, I'm going to be right there to pull her back from the cliff's edge. I'm not sitting here and waiting for news.'

That would be worse, I knew. If I had to just sit in the house and wait for a letter with news as to who survived and who suffered. I couldn't do that.

There was no way in hell I was waiting at Home. If she was fighting, I was fighting.

I owed her that much. For all she had done for me.

Taking a deep breath, I asked Scarlett, 'So, what is the plan?'

Scarlett looked a little astounded that she had won, and that I had been satisfied.

She beamed at me.

'Well, first off, it's down to us, me and you.' She explained.

Scarlett quickly stood from the bed, and almost ran to the door.

'Bea? Can you come in here please?' She shouted, and it was immediately followed by footsteps.

Bianca's face appeared in the doorframe, grave and set.

My resolve settled.

She was right. Of course she was right. Bianca wouldn't just stand to the side and let Nerissa get away with such a terrible thing.

And I also needed to do the right thing. For too long, I had let my fear of the world control me. I had to do something.

James would want me to do something, he would have fought at Bianca's side.

And so, I would.

'What do you need me to do?' I asked, glancing at my friend.

The corner of her mouth began to tilt upwards, more and more, until a wide beam showed on her face.

'You're going to help?' She asked.

I nodded.

'Nerissa needs to pay. And someone has to make sure you don't do anything stupid.' I told her.

Bianca grinned.

'So, how do we remove her from the palace?' I asked, looking at the two sisters.

'That actually depends on you. You and your rather marvellous connections.' Bianca said.

I sat there stunned for a minute. I didn't have marvellous connections. I had hardly seen anyone in the past year.

'My what?'

Bianca sat on the edge of the bed.

'I was rather hoping that you would be able to talk to someone about the situation. Someone who could help unseat Nerissa and pardon me.'

That did nothing to clear up any of my confusion.

'And who exactly might that be?' I asked.

'Your friend, the princess.' Bianca explained.

My mouth fell open just a little.

'Rose?' I uttered.

Both Bianca and Scarlett nodded.

'Well, this entire plan sort of depends on her.' Scarlett explained.

'She has the power to unseat Nerissa, and give me a pardon. And she already knows me. But I can't just waltz up to the palace and expect not to be locked up. But you can.' Bianca told me.

I was quite blown away as to how much she had clearly thought about it.

'You want me to go to the royal palace and talk to the princess?' I cried.

'You didn't have a problem talking to her before.' Bianca argued.

'I didn't know she was a princess! I thought she was just another girl. A very strange girl, but still just a lowborn girl.' I replied.

'Why should that change anything?' Bianca asked. 'You talk to me, and I'm the daughter of a Duke.'

'Because I'm a lowborn! I can't talk to royalty!'

'Well, actually, you are a lady. You have as much right to attend the royal court and petition royalty as any other highborns.' Scarlett explained.

'Only my marriage. And I'm a widow, so I wouldn't be able to be introduced into society.' I said.

'You know the princess; I think that is introduction enough. And it's not like you are without friends. Surely Prince Philip will see you, not only because of James, but because you know Antony as well. You were invited to the royal wedding; they clearly would welcome you there.' Bianca argued.

'But I've never been to the palace. I can't just walk through the front door and demand to see the crown princess, who I met once in a forest over a year ago. I doubt she even remembers me.'

'I think the invitation to the royal wedding proves that she does, in fact, remember you.' Scarlett replied.

I gave her a mock glare, and she just smiled sweetly. Scarlett, for all her charm and goodness, could be just as bad as her sister when it came to her sense of humor.

'Marion, please. She will remember you, just as I'm sure that she will remember me. I spent two nights hiding in that cellar, and I'm almost certain that those two days were probably the most interesting days of her entire life up to that point. You talked to her yourself, she had been so isolated with those three aunts that she had never spoken to anyone else. That must leave some sort of mark on her memory.' Bianca told me.

I simply stared at the floor.

She was right.

Of course Bianca was right, when had she not been. But the prospect of going to the royal court to plead for an audience with the royal princess still made my heart flutter with nervousness.

'I'm going with you as well.' Scarlett said, trying to reassure me. 'As the daughter of a Duke, they have to let me in.'

'Then why do you need me?' I asked.

'Because you're the one with the title. Since her marriage, Scarlett is just Mrs Brown. You are still Lady Thorne. You are the one with the power to demand an audience with her.' Bianca explained. 'The hypocrisy of highborn society is ridiculous.

It still felt strange to me to hear Scarlett called by my mother's name. All my life, there had only ever been one Mrs Brown. Mrs Hannah Brown. Even though she had been dead for over four years, the villagers still referred to her as the late Mrs Brown. Scarlett had thrown a wrench in the works with her new position.

I loved having her as a sister in law. I truly did. But there were still some things that were just too new that I hadn't become accustomed to yet.

'So, just to be clear. The plan is for me, a lowborn widow with no money, to walk up to the palace, demand an audience with a girl I met in the forest over a year ago, and plead for her to pardon you and somehow bring Nerissa to justice.' I reasoned.

'No, don't be stupid.' Bianca replied. 'You'll go in a carriage, not walk!'

Even the corners of my own mouth perked up at that.

Bianca moved closer to me.

'Marion, I know it's a lot to ask. But I need you to do this. If Rose is still half as kind and good as she was last year, you know she will help me. She did before.'

'Yes, but before, you were asking to sleep in her cellar to hide. This time you're asking for a royal pardon and an army! Do you even know how to lead an army?'

Bianca shrugged her shoulders slightly, and then Scarlett said 'You'd be surprised as to what exactly our father considered necessary for our education.'

'Well, he was clearly a man of foresight then.' I scoffed.

Bianca sighed, and then gave me a serious stare.

'Look, I need an answer. Will you do this for me? I'm begging you Marion, please. I need that army so I can take down Nerissa. I need to see justice done. Will you do it?'

And right then, looking my closest friend directly in her lovely hazel eyes, I knew that I would do anything to help her, regardless of the cost to me. She had suffered too much, and she deserved the world. She had stayed with me through my darkest hour, and I could never repay her for that kindness.

Now it was my turn to do something. To try and make up the unpayable debt I owed her.

So, I nodded.

'Let's go to court.' I told her simply.

And the two sisters beamed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

'Are you really going to see the Princess?' Gwen asked, tugging on my sleeve.

Her little grey eyes were wide with wonder.

'Yes. I just hope she wants to see me.' I told her, taking down a lavender silk dress from the wardrobe. Brushing it down, I tried to smooth out the creases from disuse. I'd had no occasion to wear any of my highborn dresses that James had given to me. I normally had too many chores to do to put on nice clothes. They would just get covered in flour and soap.

But a royal court had different rules. I had to dress the part of a lady.

I wouldn't get past the front door if I wasn't dressed as a highborn.

It felt strange, to have to be a lady one again. I'd been living in a tiny crumbing cottage for the past year, hardly the place for a lady. My life seemed so contradictory.

Royal courts and lowborn cottages. Duchesses and commoners were my neighbours

Nothing about my life made sense.

Clara had been begging for us to bring her along all week. She was desperate to see the Princess, and to experience the royal court.

After her first taste of highborn society at the ball the year before, she wanted to go back more than anything. I didn't blame her.

After my first ball when I was eighteen, I had dreamed about the day I could go to another. But Clara was slightly more vocal about it than I was.

Unfortunately, we had to tell her no. Scarlett and I were going to be going for a specific purpose; with a task to complete. We weren't going to enjoy the entertainment and socialise amongst the rich and noble. We were going to ask for an army, hardly the task for Clara.

She had complained that we were excluding her because she didn't have a title but Scarlett talked her around.

Scarlett and Clara had actually become very close friends since my brother's marriage. Scarlett was technically closer in age to Daniel than to any of us, but I think that she craved female company, especially after so many isolated years.

Scarlett had managed to fit wonderfully into our family. We all now considered the Knox sisters as our own, and heaven help anyone who tried to harm them in any way.

Particularly Alexander.

He had always been protective. I had known him all his life, and he'd always been looking out for us. It was in his nature; he couldn't help it.

But since he became a husband….

It was quite endearing, how much he doted on Scarlett. If any small thing made her the slightest bit upset, he dealt with it straight away. He had sworn of his wedding day to make Scarlett the happiest woman in the world, and it was now obvious that he had meant it. No task was too big or too small for him to sort out for her, nothing was allowed to upset her.

I thought it was all rather sweet. And Scarlett clearly cherished him for it.

They were so blissfully happy. So content with each-others company, so pleased to simply exist together.

Even Bianca had to concede that they were happy together, so she was happy for her sister. She'd even begun to warm up to Alexander, which in itself was a small miracle.

But tonight, for the first time, they would be spending the night apart.

As Scarlett and myself were off to the palace.

It was a few hour's journey. But even if we set off early in the morning, we would still reach the palace after the audience hours. So, we were going to spend the night at a local inn, and petition Rose the next morning. I just had to hope that she would see me.

It had been over a year since I had laid eyes on the peculiar girl, who happened to be the lost princess. But the memory of her violet eyes and almost silver hair was still as clear in my mind as the day I met her.

Because no one forgets being chased like that all of a sudden.

That entire day, my nerves had been a wreck, it had taken hours and hours for my heart to truly calm down after almost being caught with Bianca. How she lived with that sort of fear every day, I didn't know.

A knock came at my bedroom door, and Gwen and I both turned to face the source of the noise.

Scarlett's face appeared.

'Are you ready to go?' She asked.

'As soon as this goes in the trunk.' I told her. 'What have you packed to wear?'

'My wedding dress.' Scarlett told me, with a lovely smile on her face. 'I didn't bring any other highborn dresses suitable.'

'You'll look like a princess!' Gwen cried, beaming at Scarlett.

Scarlett giggled a little.

'Thank you. But there will be an actual princess there, and I don't think I could possibly compare' She told my baby sister.

I began to walk out, and I gently lowered my dress into the open trunk, before pressing it down and smoothing it out.

We were truly going; we were actually going to do this.

We were going to start a war.

And it started with us charming the princess.

I had to be a lady again. I had to use James's name to get us close to royalty. I knew I should have felt guilty about it, but I knew somewhere deep inside me, that James would have done exactly the same thing. He would have no qualms about using his name and connections to get him to the royal court. He just chose never to go. He might have done, now that Philip was there all the time.

But he never got the chance. So it was down to me.

I could almost imagine him, looking down from wherever he was, and urging me to go to the court with my head held high, using my noble rank to look smugly down at people like Lady Kingston.

I had never forgotten his smile. That cursed twist of his lips as he grinned, making me fall ever deeper under his spell.

But now was not the time for grieving. Now, I had a war to start. We had to reclaim Bianca's title. Nerissa had to be punished. I didn't have time to imagine what would have happened if James were here. That was for another time. I had the rest of my life to do that.

Before I knew it, Daniel had closed the top of the trunk and loaded it onto the back of the cart. We were going to the nearby village of Wrently to stay overnight, and we would hire a carriage from there. We knew that there was no way we were getting near the Royal palace in a cart.

Alexander embraced his wife tightly, running his fingers through her lovely long red hair. I bid Bianca farewell with a hug.

'Stay safe. And I can't thank you enough for doing this for me.' She told me.

'I'm doing this for me too.' I admitted, and her brow furrowed.

'The old me would have done this, no questions asked, because it was the right thing. And he would have wanted me to do it as well, I just know it. So, I have to just go.'

Bianca nodded.

'I won't forget this. Or any of this. You've done so much for me, and I will never be able to repay you for it, Marion.'

I smiled a little.

'Well, you can start by making sure you don't get hurt in this war. And then maybe a lavish suite in the palace may start to settle the debt.'

Bianca chuckled.

'Let's get the army first, then worry about who's going to live where.' She teased.

I moved out of her arms, and quickly ran around my other siblings and embraced them, and had to peel Gwen off me as she decided to attach herself to my leg and tell me that she was going to see the princess. Daniel managed to pull her away eventually, and then Scarlett and I were climbing up onto the cart, and I took the reins.

The eight of them waved us goodbye as we snapped the reins and away we pulled; off down the dust track towards the castle.

The journey itself was very boring.

Endless hours of Penny clopping away, while either Scarlett or I tried to stay awake from the boredom.

It wasn't that we didn't have anything to talk about, but we had been living very closely together for several months now, so there wasn't exactly any new topics of conversation to discuss.

I liked Scarlett. I really did think of her like another younger sister. But our conversation lacked anything memorable.

Having said that, we were not silent. We talked about tiny little things, and what we were going to say when we got to the palace. But there was only so much I could plan in my head without hearing Rose's half of the conversation. From what I could remember, she was a little odd, having lived so far out of usual society. So I couldn't really guess as to what her response would be.

Scarlett had never been to the royal court, but had been brought up at her father's court, which was probably as similar of a thing as there was likely to be.

Luckily, the sky stayed clear for us all day, and we reached the village of Wrently without incident. Bianca had made us hide daggers in our boots, just in case. We had told her it was ridiculous, but she wouldn't allow us to leave the house without them. She told us that she had met some of the other outlaws in the forest, and we wouldn't want to cross their path. Scarlett kept an ear out for the birds, but everything seemed calm and tranquil.

The inn miraculously had spare rooms, which were a little cramped, but nothing we weren't used to. After all, our cottage was nothing to boast about, and Scarlett and Alexander's home could hardly be called anything more than a collection of three rooms. But as soon as Scarlett introduced me as Lady Thorne, the innkeeper fell all over himself, apologising for the lack of quality, and the confined space. I didn't want to tell him that these rooms were probably all we could afford anyways, so it worked out rather well.

The sun was well on its way to setting by the time the innkeeper set down our trunk, and told us he would personally stable Penny. We had barely the energy to eat.

But we somehow managed it.

Scarlett looked about ready to fall into her soup, her eyes drooping with the effort of keeping them open. I, myself, couldn't stop yawning. It made it almost impossible to eat when every few seconds, my mouth would open of its own accord.

However, we did finish eating, and we both changed into our nightgowns, and climbed into our two beds.

It felt strange to me, to have someone else sleep in the same room as me again. I hadn't been able to bear my sisters as they slept. But it was only for one night, and I was not at home, and didn't have the luxury of my own room.

I had to simply get on with it, and battle through.

Scarlett braided her hair slowly, every movement looking like it required enormous effort.

'It's strange, to know there's no Alexander here.' She said, climbing into bed, and then tying her braid off with an old ribbon.

'It's strange to me that there's anyone at all.' I replied in a low voice.

Scarlett smiled a little at me, and then lay back against her pillows.

'It's amazing how quickly everything changed, and how completely at ease with it I am. If someone had told me a year ago, I would be married to a man I love, and living as a lowborn, I would have never believed them. And yet, here I am.'

I blew out the final candle, and darkness descended over the room.

'I know that too. How your life can change so suddenly. But, it can be quite incredible.' I told her.

At that admission, my mind began to wander.

How at ease I had been with him, once I had gotten over the initial shock. I had always imagined myself as a lady in my dreams, aspiring to be just like Ella, with all her graceful ways. But I never thought that I would actually ever become one.

I wondered if it was the opposite way for highborns. Did they dream of being lowborns, free to live as they choose? Free from the obligations of their rank. James had told me many time of when he and his friends had snuck out of school to go to the lowborn celebrations. Maybe everyone was trapped within their own prison, and wished to be anywhere that wasn't there. No one could be truly happy, they wanted yet another gilded cage.

I was a lady now; I had gotten what I had wished for.

And it was ironic that I was now as unhappy as I had ever been in my life. Because I had no James to share it with. I might had grown to love my new status if he had lived. If he hadn't…

The soft sounds of Scarlett's breathing informed me that she had fallen asleep already.

But sleep evaded me.

I wasn't sure if it was my over active mind, thinking about things I really should have never brought up, or if it was nerves for the following day.

I was going to attend court, a feat in itself; and request an audience with the princess.

A girl I had only ever met once, a long time ago, in a forest.

And then, worse than that, I was going to ask her to start a war. Because an Outlaw said so.

Both Scarlett and I knew that our argument was shaky at best. We were in the right, but we still doubted that the royal family would see eye to eye with us on it. Their purpose was to prevent harm coming to any of their subjects, and we were asking them to start a civil war.

Somehow, we didn't think they'd be too thrilled about that.

We were going to rely on the fact that Rose knew Bianca, and had helped her before. And that we were on the side of justice. We were not senselessly starting a war for our own gain, we were doing it to save others like those poor men from Ellerton from Nerissa's justice.

We were in the right.

We were on the side of justice.

We just had to hope that Rose and the rest of the royal would see that.

Eventually, my yawning became too much, and my exhaustion managed to put my most agile thoughts to rest, as I finally fell asleep, dreaming of the last time I had shared a room with…with him.

* * *

Dawn broke, and rays of sunlight began to stream through the holes in the ragged curtains, rousing me from my sleep.

My eyes remained closed, but the light filtered through my lids.

The sound of breathing off to my right, and my first instinct was to reach out for it. I needed to feel him, right there next to me.

My eyes snapped open.

And I woke up fully.

He wasn't there. There was no way he could possibly be there.

He was in the ground, miles away. And he had been for over a year.

In the bed next to me, Scarlett's familiar red hair lay in its braid against her pillow.

My heart dropped.

For a second, just one small second, I had been back there. Back in the manor house where I had been so happy.

But I wasn't.

And I could never be.

Because he was never coming back. Never.

It was only Scarlett in the room with me.

Pushing the covers back, I had to get out of bed. Lying in bed listening to someone else sleeping was just too much.

And besides, we had a rather big day ahead of us.

I had to put it out of my mind. I had to get past this.

I couldn't spend the rest of my life wishing I could wake up next to him again. It had been over a year, I had to stop this.

James would want me to move on. He would have moved on if it had been reversed. I couldn't bear the thought of him being so unhappy.

And today, I had to make him proud.

I was going to be a Lady. I was going to court. And I was going to get justice for Bianca.

That was my task. And I had to succeed.

I owed it to Bianca to succeed.

Quietly, so not to disturb Scarlett, I began to ready myself for the day. Pulling out my dress, I hooked my necklace around my neck. The emerald slumped against my collar bone, and I struggled not to sigh.

I tried my hardest to pull up the laces of my dress, but I couldn't seem to get the right part to tighten. It felt loose at my waist, but tight at my hips. It just won't go. I had become a little thinner since the last time I had worn this dress, but not so much that it shouldn't fit.

After several minutes of grunting and pulling, I had to admit defeat. I slumped onto the bed. The sound managed to stir Scarlett from her slumber.

'Alex?' She mumbled, her eyes remaining closed.

'No, just me.' I replied.

At the feminine voice, Scarlett's eyes flew open. She relaxed when she saw it was me.

'Oh. Marion, it's only you.'

Rolling over, Scarlett stretched herself out, and appeared to wake herself up.

Part of my heart sunk a little. She reminded me so much of myself a year ago. Waking up, and just knowing that he would be there next to me.

I knew that I shouldn't resent it. There were many, many people who lived happy lives, and I just because I didn't, did not mean that I could hate them for it. It was not their fault they were happy. I wanted to be like them more than anything else in the world.

But, it wasn't going to happen. And I had to accept that.

Scarlett rolled out of bed, and started to un-braid her hair.

'Are you ready to see her again?' She asked me, pulling her dress out of the trunk. Shaking out the familiar dark green dress, she disappeared behind the changing screen.

'Honestly, yes.' I told her.

The rustling of silk told me that she was having as much trouble with her dress as I had with mine. Highborns clearly didn't like having to dress themselves.

Just the sound of it made me think back to the last time Scarlett had worn that dress. It was her wedding day to Alexander.

It also happened to be the dress she wore to Ella's birthday ball a year ago, the day she had first met Alexander. Clara thought it all ridiculously romantic, and even Alexander had smirked when he saw what she was wearing when she married him.

However, every time I saw that dress, I was reminded of the last night James and I'd had with each other. And the last time I had properly spoken to Ella.

Things between her and myself had not improved at all over the past year. She'd had her baby, and Christopher had sent a note to tell us of her birth. Ella had also written a letter and enclosed it, but I threw it in the fire before I could read it.

I'd known Ella for a long time. And every single time she'd managed to drag me back in with her angelic manners and kind tone. But now I knew better. She had turned into a socialite, only caring about parties and appearances. And she didn't have the foresight to think about what danger she could have put everyone in if she'd had that party. She'd never done anything for me, regardless of what I had done for her. And I was through with her; I didn't want her to explain, I just never wanted to see her again. I was resolved, and nothing was going to change my mind.

'Marion, can you help with my laces? They're stuck again?' Scarlett asked from behind the screen.

I moved off the bed, and began to untangle Scarlett's mess of lacings, and resolved to put the issue out of my mind.

Ella was something to think about on another day.

But right then, we had a royal court to attend.

And another old friend who I had to meet again.

To start a war.

* * *

The Royal palace was quite something to behold.

Great rising turrets, and large halls; all intertwined like a maze. There were giant windows, full of coloured glass, staining the sunlight into vibrant blues, yellows and red.

My heart almost stopped at how beautiful it all looked.

The carriage we were in crossed the moat, over the drawbridge, and my mouth remained agape almost the entire time.

I knew that this was where the King and Queen lived, so it was hardly surprising that there was so much grandeur all around me. But I wasn't quite prepared for the scale.

The grey stone rose to almost impossible heights, and ivy climbed up the outer walls. Statues appeared to be carved into the very being of the castle. Decoration seemed to cover every spare inch, with patterns and designs twisting and turning throughout the stone.

And the people…

Everywhere, there seemed to be people milling around. Not just highborns, in their finery, but lowborns as well. Servants ran back and forth, arms full of heavy crates of food or laundry.

Everything just seemed to be alive.

Scarlett didn't seem at all dazed by it.

She had, after all, grown up in a court that could have easily rivalled this one. Many people had not attended the royal court for years, as there was no heir to replace the King. Many highborns had attended Duke's courts, like Duke Knox, as a result, leaving the Royals mainly alone. But since the news about Rose's discovery had broken, the Royal court was back as the centre of Highborn's social engagements.

The highborns who walked around with their noses high in the air, seemed to be almost dripping with jewels. Some of the ladies, I was astounded that they could even raise their heads with such intricate beaded headdresses adorning their thinning hair.

Scarlett and I had tried our best to dress the part, but it was only now that it was apparent how much we looked like Lowborns.

Even with our best dresses, and hair pinned back with small jewelled hairpins, we were very plainly decorated compared to these ladies.

Scarlett had told me not to mind them. There were many women like that at Nerissa's court, who seemed to wear every jewel they had ever owned. It was very impractical, and a lot of effort. They did it for attention, which hardly anyone ever gave them.

I had only my emerald adorning my neck, and I much preferred it that way. That necklace eased my fluttering heart more than thousands of jewels could.

The carriage pulled to a stop, and a footman in a rather smart purple uniform opened the door for us. He even held out his hand to assist the two of us out of the carriage. Scarlett took his hand without a second glance at him, as she had been used to doing this all of her life.

I, however, thanked him with a small bow of my head.

He was not much older than myself, with neat brown hair, and a polite smile.

It felt so strange to think that I was once the same as he had been, a servant. That I had spent three years of my life toiling for a master.

Ella and I used to joke how one day I was going to find a nice footman or apprentice to fall in love with. I never aspired to more, even if I had dreamt about it.

How differently my life had gone. How different I had been at seventeen.

But, the footman closed the carriage door behind me, and moved back into the palace, and out of my sight.

I snapped myself out of my daze.

I was no longer a servant.

I was a lady, about to request an audience with the Princess. A highborn, with a purpose. Reminiscing about old times could wait until later.

'Are you ready?' I asked Scarlett, hoping that my own nervousness wouldn't show in my voice.

'As ready as I can be. But this is for Bianca, so I'm not as scared.' She replied. 'And you?'

'Utterly terrified.' I admitted.

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest with how fast it was beating. And there was a strong sense of nausea that I couldn't seem to get rid of. It was constant, and I hated it. My hands felt clammy, and I had to keep taking deep breaths to steady myself.

But I knew I had to do this. For Bianca. She had done so much for me, and she deserved to see justice done. Nerissa needed to pay for what she had done.

I had to do this for her. She was part of my family now, I owed it to her.

And so, I nodded to Scarlett, and the two of us began to walk slowly towards the entrance to the Royal palace.

Into the very heart of the kingdom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five.**

I did not think it was possible for a room to be more richly decorated than the Ballroom at Christopher's palace.

I was wrong.

So very wrong.

The audience chamber of the Royal palace took my breath away the moment I laid eyes on it.

I had never thought it possible for the walls to be actually decorated with gold. But I was proved wrong there as well.

A pattern of vines and branches adorned the room, spreading up and down the walls, covering every available space.

And they were made of gold. Solid gold.

Just one leaf off one of those branches would be enough to buy an entire house in Rault. And it was being ignored by all the other highborns in the room.

They stood, talking to each other, mainly about trivial matters. From what I could overhear, they seemed to be more concerned about if a particular young maid had spent the night with a certain gentleman.

I found it astounding that that was the main topic of conversation.

Duchess Nerissa had killed people. Innocent people. Only a few days ago. She had ordered their deaths, and sat on her throne while the executions had been carried out.

And yet somehow, none of these highborns seemed to care.

Or maybe they didn't know.

It was no secret what she had done. They clearly didn't care enough to bother to listen.

It also didn't help that most of them had the exact same expression on their faces that Lady Evil and Lady Anna had most of the time. I didn't really like many of these people at first glance.

I knew most highborns were shallow, but it still irritated me.

Scarlett too, looked like she was trying hard not to bite her lip as she walked past a group of highborn women; although I couldn't tell if that was from frustration or nervousness.

Even growing up in a palace hadn't prepared her for this. Or maybe she had changed a lot since living with us. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The bell in the clock tower above our heads began to toll.

One.

Two.

Three.

Everyone appeared to spring into action, and began to move steadily towards the front of the room. Even though we were stuck behind several other people, I could safely assume that in front of us lay the throne.

Never, in all my life, did I think I would in the throne room of the royal palace. I was a lowborn girl, from a tiny village. I never thought any of this would happen to me.

Four.

Five.

Six.

A hush descended over the crowd of assembled people, and I stood stunned as to what was happening.

I didn't know what to do. No one had prepared me for the protocol of how I was expected to behave. I had played the part of a highborn before, but never at the royal court.

Was I supposed to curtsey? Did I shout to Rose? Were we all supposed to cry 'Long live the King?' How did we ask for an audience?

Another wave of nausea rose within me. I felt like a fraud. I was no lady; I didn't belong here.

Seven.

Eight.

Highborns began to turn around, and step backward, and before I could realise it, Scarlett had grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

I was quite startled, but I followed her as she pulled me back into the crowd. I had not a clue what was going on.

Nine.

Right as the final bell toll began to die away, the sound of trumpets echoed around the room, startling me.

I was frozen, completely unsure of what to do.

Then, footsteps sounded.

Four distinctive pairs of footsteps grew louder and louder.

The royal family, it must have been.

My suspicions were only confirmed when the people closest to the door, began to sink in curtseys and bows.

This was it. The royal family were arriving.

My throat became dry; uncomfortably dry. Anticipation coiled in my stomach.

But I had to do this. I just had to.

Then, they finally came into view.

Two highborns strode into the audience chamber, and the twin crowns on their heads left me in no doubt as to who they were.

King Stefan, and Queen Matilda.

The former was taller than I imagined, with dark hair, and a pointed jaw. The golden crown on his head didn't seem to weigh him down in any way, as if he was made to wear it.

But there was one feature of the king that stood out the most to me.

His bright violet eyes.

Rose's eyes.

I'd recognise them anywhere.

And the Queen, she too was recognisable.

Because she was almost an exact copy of her daughter. Other than her dark brown eyes, and clear age difference, she had clearly passed down her features to Rose.

For a woman approaching fifty years old, she wore her age wonderfully well, and her face had a certain glow about it. Her large smile might have contributed to my perception of her.

I immediately sunk into a low and respectful curtsey, as did Scarlett beside me.

This was the King and Queen. The highest rank in the entire country.

The two of them swept by us, without a second glance. The edge of the Queen's silver skirt caught mine briefly as she strode by, her head held high.

I kept my eyes down to the ground, quite in awe of who had just walked past me.

No sooner had the King and Queen past us, did another two people appear at the door.

And these two people, I definitely recognised.

A man of dark brown hair, that swept across his forehead, brushing the top of his eyes stood by the side of a beautiful young woman with pale blonde hair and violet eyes.

Both of them were smiling politely and wore silver crowns on their heads.

The crown Princess and Prince.

Rose and Philip.

I had never seen the two of them together before, having met each of them individually.

But together…

They were magnificent.

So handsome together, radiant and happy. Their hands were linked by their sides, and their smiles were wide and genuine.

Even their clothes seemed to be matched. Both wore the same shade of pale blue, though Philip's jacket was made in velvet and Rose's dress was in silk.

They followed the King and Queen, but it was very clear who was the centre of attention. The handsome young couple politely greeted people as they made their way toward the front of the room, where King Stefan and Queen Matilda had just taken their seats on their thrones.

Rose and Philip made it halfway down the room, before Rose suddenly froze.

And I knew exactly why.

I met her gaze.

Looking up from my curtsey, I once again found myself staring at those rather remarkable violet eyes I had first seen over a year ago.

Philip stopped only a second after his young bride, and he too, turned to face me.

But I held her gaze. Defiantly and a little impertinently.

The lost princess. The girl who had lived alone in the forest, all of her life.

I just had to hope that she remembered me.

Then, after what seemed like the longest moment of my life, the princess moved.

Her smile turned from one of politeness, to one of delight.

'Marion?' She cried, her eyes wide with surprise.

I remained in my curtsey, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to do.

Was I supposed to stand? Did I lower my head? Did I run and leave the room, never to return?

She took a step towards me, and lifted her arms forwards until she touched my arms.

Pulling me up, Rose beamed at me as I stood before her, the only non-royal to be not stuck in a curtsey or a bow.

'Your Highness.' I said, trying to keep my voice steady, and not to give away how much I was terrified.

'Your Highness?' Rose repeated, surprised. 'You never used to call me that.'

'Because you weren't a princess then.' I replied, hoping I wasn't being too impertinent.

'No, I wasn't.' She said to me.

Turning to Philip, she gestured to me, and said, 'Philip, this is-'

'Lady Thorne.' He interrupted. 'Yes, we've met before. Under less than pleasant circumstances.'

His smile seemed to falter slightly at the mention of the last time we had met.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Scarlett shift slightly, still uncomfortably stuck in a low curtsey.

'Your highnesses, may I introduce my sister in law, Mrs Scarlett Brown, daughter of the late Duke Knox.' I told them, gesturing to her. Scarlett rose from her curtsey.

Philip looked a little startled at my announcement, but Rose just smiled at her.

'So you are the elusive Scarlett Knox.' He muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

A loud cough from the edge of the room, made us all turn, to see the King and Queen sat on their thrones, staring at us. Queen Matilda lowered her hand gently and gracefully, a practiced move.

Then, I suddenly realised that everyone else in the room was still stuck bowing or curtseying to the crown.

Rose seemed to be spurred into action, and turned away from me to stand with Philip again.

'Let me return in one moment.' She whispered, before promptly setting off towards her parents. I found myself once again unsure of exactly what to do, as I remained standing upright.

Thankfully Rose and Philip soon reached the foot of the throne, and the King gave everyone the signal to rise. Some of them gave me rather cold sideways looks, before turning to face the Royal family.

King Stefan cleared his throat, and raised his voice.

'Good morning to you all. I declare the start of this audience session.'

He turned to the official looking man stood at the foot of the dais, who appeared to have a long piece of parchment in his hand.

'The first order of business?' The king asked.

The man glanced down at the page, and then responded.

'Lord Hegford's land dispute.' He declared.

A rather rotund man stepped forward from the crowd, and bowed to the king. He started talking, but I didn't listen to a word he said.

As someone else had caught my eye.

Rose was quietly whispering something to Philip, but she kept glancing back in my direction. It made me rather nervous.

It wasn't every day I had a crown Princess talk about me in a royal audience chamber. But, today had hardly been a normal day, and it was only nine in the morning.

After a few agonising minutes, Rose managed to excuse herself from the dais and slowly make her way around the edge of the room. She caught my eye for a moment, and subtlely gestured for me to follow her. I elbow Scarlett in the side gently, and the two of us began to retreat towards the door.

No sooner were we through the frame, did a hand shoot out and grasp me, pulling me out of sight of the main room.

Rose beamed at me, her eyes scanning my face, as if to assure herself that I was real.

'I can't believe you're here.' She whispered quietly, as there were still people stood only a matter of feet away. Her dreamlike tone hadn't changed.

'I still can't believe you are the lost princess! I never would have guessed in that cottage.' I told her.

Rose nodded in agreement.

'It was a shock to me too. They told me only hours after you left.' She said.

It struck me quite how much she had changed since that last time I had seen her. Not so much in appearance, but in personality.

When I met her in the forest, she was a strange girl, confused by the way of the world that I had told her about, and unsure how to act around both Bianca and myself.

But now, she was confident. Like she had finally figured out her role. She'd had over a year to come to terms with being a princess, and I suspected that the royals had re-educated her in the ways of the court.

And, there was one thing about her that had changed even more. She had a family now. Before, she was a lost girl, who had no parents and no friends, other than those strange aunts. But now, she had loving parents, and a husband. And I suspected a great deal of friends.

She seemed settled. Like everything had finally fallen into place for her. And I was glad. After eighteen years of isolation, she deserved that. To have a happy, loving family.

'Why are you here?' She asked, glancing between me and Scarlett, who was stood just behind me. She appeared curious, and genuine.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself, knowing that my next words might save or damn Bianca.

'Could we go somewhere else, alone? It's a rather private matter.' I told her.

Without blinking, Rose nodded.

She led the way, down a corridor, and into a unassuming room on the left. It was plain compared to the audience chamber, but by no means bare. It was still more richly decorated than any room in Thorne Manor.

Rose took a seat on a cream coloured fabric chair, and waited.

I wasn't entirely sure if we were permitted to sit on the other matching chairs. Were we allowed to sit in the presence of Royalty?

Rose, however, just looked up at us, simply waiting.

I tried desperately to order the words in my head, and failed rather miserably. So, in the end, I began with.

'The reason we are here, is because of Bianca.'

Rose tilted her head slightly to one side, in confusion.

'Bianca?' She asked.

'My sister.' Scarlett explained.

'And the young woman you met in the forest. You knew her as Blanche. The one with raven black hair.'

Understanding coursed through Rose's face.

'The frightened one?' Rose responded.

Now it was Scarlett's turn to look surprised.

'Yes. The one who hid with me, in the cellar.' I told her.

'I remember her. She was scared. She tried to hide it, but she was so scared.' Rose said, in such a manner of sureness, that I instantly believed her.

'She needs your help once again. Just like she did in the cottage.' Scarlett said, but Rose's eyes didn't move away from me.

'You have questions.' Rose said curiously, completely ignoring Scarlett's statement.

Even I was taken aback by that. Those spectacularly peculiar eyes were fixated on me, as if she was trying to see inside me.

She'd done it before, that night in the cottage. But in the cold light of day, it unnerved me a little.

'But you are also sad. And lonely. You suffered greatly.' Rose said, with such a tone that once again, neither of us found ourselves doubting her.

I remained silent, almost spellbound by how Rose was treating me. It was…so odd, and yet there was something about her tone that made me simply accept it.

'What happened? After you left last year? I cannot tell.' Rose said, finally breaking her intense gaze on me. And just like that, the spell seemed to be broken. I found myself able to form words and sentences once more.

'Many things happened. And not all of them good.' I told her.

'Tell me. Tell me your story.' She said, leaning forward in her chair slightly.

'Only if you tell me yours. I told you many stories last time.' I reminded her.

The corners of her mouth perked up a little.

'That is true. And now I finally have a story to relate.' She grinned.

'May we?' I asked, pointing to the empty chairs. She nodded, and both Scarlett and I took a seat.

'So, it all started the moment we left the cottage last year.' I began.

Rose listened intently. I told her all I could remember.

The home I had returned to, the father I had found so ill.

The day he had died.

I told her about how my family and I had tried to carry on without him.

And then I told her about the day the faerie came.

Even Scarlett, who had already heard this story many time from each member of our family, still listened as if it was the first time she was hearing it.

I told the princess all about my cursed family, and our search for her, hoping she would help. How disappointed I had been when I found she had left the cottage.

I searched her face when I told her this part, but she gave nothing away.

So, I told her about how we had used her cottage, hiding away from the world.

And of course, I had to tell her about the day James happened upon us.

I spoke of our brief courtship, and rushed marriage. How we had fallen in love, despite the curse and the hardships, and how the curse had finally been broken.

And then I told her of James's death, and all the troubled that had followed.

The only part I omitted, was Bianca's recent struggles. Now was not the time.

Once I had finished, Rose remained still for a few moments, as if still trying to comprehend what I had told her.

Then, she finally sat back in her chair, and sighed.

'You went to the cottage? To find me?' She asked, a little shocked.

I nodded. It was honestly what I had done, there was no reason for me to lie.

'Yes.' I said plainly.

Rose didn't react.

Even Scarlett appeared to be holding her breath.

I had told her everything exactly as it had happened. I could do no more.

'I'm very sorry, about your husband. He was Philip's friend, wasn't he?' She finally said.

'Yes he was. A great friend. James cared for him a lot, and tried his hardest to find him when he disappeared.'

I paused for a moment, wondering if I should press the subject.

'If you don't mind me asking, where actually was Philip? James never found out.' I asked.

Rose thought about it for a moment, and then looked behind me, as if she could see through the wall.

'Ask Philip. He can remember more than I can.' She said a moment later.

Scarlett glanced sideways at me. I think she was quite astounded by how Rose behaved. It wasn't rude or mean, just odd. Scarlett had grown up with all sorts of courtiers; yet Rose seemed to be someone completely different.

'It's all still a blur.' Rose admitted.

That only piqued my curiosity, but I knew better than to push it. We needed Rose on our side, if we were going to have any chance of succeeding here.

'But, the reason we are here, is because of Bianca.' I told Rose.

She lent forward in her chair slightly, as if ready to listen.

'Bianca is Blanche's true name. Bianca Knox, daughter of the late Duke Knox.' I explained. 'And this is her sister, Scarlett.'

'I thought there was a Duchess Knox, not a Duke.' Rose queried.

'There is now, my Stepmother.' Scarlett told the Princess.

Rose looked even more confused by that statement.

'I didn't think titles passed to spouses over children.' Rose said.

'They don't usually,' I told her. 'And in this case, not legally.'

I was about to continue, but loud footsteps sounded from just down the corridor, and all three of us turned to look.

The glint of a blue velvet tunic greeted us as the newly elevated Prince came into view.

Philip grinned at his wife, before glancing towards Scarlett and myself.

'I'm sorry to interrupt, but your mother was asking when you will be returning.' Philip said to Rose.

The silver crown balancing on his head didn't appear to daunt him, like I thought it would. I had only met him a few times before, but to me, he had never seemed like the sort of person to aspire to such a high rank. He had seemed perfectly content as he had been. But he wore the new weight of Royalty as if he had been born to it.

'Not until Marion has finished. Would you join us, you know more about this that I do.' Rose told him.

Philip shifted his gaze towards me, before nodding, and taking a seat on the arm rest of Rose's chair. His arms moved around Rose's back to her waist.

The gesture was practiced and intimate. Like they had done it a thousand times. Because they most likely had.

The perfectly happy couple then turned their attention back to Scarlett and myself.

'So, what do I know more about?' Philip asked.

'I'm presuming you know who Duchess Knox is?' I replied.

Philip nodded, and then turned to Scarlett.

'Your stepmother.' He said to her. 'What about her?'

'She shouldn't be Duchess. She should be plain old Nerissa, and no more.' Scarlett muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

'Yes, I remember it was a strange case. There was an heir, but they killed the Duke and ran away.' Philip said.

Scarlett's fist tightened almost instantly. As for me, I bit the inside of my lip.

'No they didn't. Nerissa did.' I said, in as calm a tone as I could muster.

'You're saying his own wife murdered him?' Philip asked shocked.

'Is it any more ridiculous than his own loving daughter murdering him?' Scarlett retorted sharply.

Philip looked a little taken aback at her tone.

'Is the person in question, your sister?' He asked, as politely as he could.

We both nodded.

Philip and Rose looked confused at our response.

'Her sister, my sister in law.' I explained.

'How is that possible?' Rose asked.

'I'm married to Alexander Brown, Marion's brother.' Scarlett told them, with a small grin on her face.

Philip gazed narrowed a little, then he seemed to understand.

'Alexander? Was he the one who was at the funeral?' Philip asked.

'All my brothers were at the funeral. They had all lost their brother in law, and good friend.' I said, once again trying to keep my voice steady. Talking about the day of the funeral was still not easy for me.

Philip swallowed, and averted his gaze.

'Sorry, of course. I didn't mean to be insensitive.' He said.

In that moment, I felt so sorry for him. However upset I had been over James, it was not just me who was suffering. James had been so important to so many people. Philip had been his friend, his really good friend.

Remorse stabbed me in the gut, and I instantly regretted being so harsh with him.

'It's alright, you weren't.' I assured him.

We all fell silent for a moment, unsure of how to continue.

'Bianca is your sister, and also Duke Knox's heir, who was accused of killing her father.' Rose said, trying to comprehend what we had told her.

'Yes.' Scarlett clarified.

'But you claim that she didn't kill her father, but rather your stepmother killed him.' Rose continued.

Scarlett nodded.

'But, then why did your sister run? If she was innocent? And where is she now?' Philip asked.

I glanced towards Scarlett, unsure of quite how to proceed. If we revealed Bianca's whereabouts, and neither Philip or Rose believed us, then Bianca could find herself in real danger. She could easily be captured.

On the other hand, we needed them to trust us. And concealing things from them was probably not the best way to win that trust.

'She's in hiding. In fear of her life. As she has been for the past five years.' Scarlett said cryptically.

Philip's brow furrowed, and Rose narrowed her eyes slightly, before nodding at Scarlett.

'This is a very serious charge to bring against your stepmother.' Philip told us carefully. 'And after so long, why now?'

Scarlett let out a small noise, that sounded a little like a whimper. Talking about what happened less than a week ago in Ellerton was hard for her. She had known those men, those innocent men who had done nothing more than take what was being freely offered to them. And Nerissa had butchered them for it.

'It's a bit of a long story.' I said.

Philip shrugged.

'We have time. I'm presuming you're a good storyteller. James always seemed to think you were.'

At the mention of his name, I found tears springing to my eyes. It had been one of the things he had discussed with me, in those earlier days when we had just met. When I had been so full of life, and hopelessly infatuated with him. The memory of that happy time stung me like a thorn.

'He said that about me?' I asked, a little breathlessly.

Philip nodded.

'It was a long time ago. Just after Christopher's wedding. He wouldn't stop going on about you for a good while. I think the only thing that shut him up was that thing you told him at Jonathan's christening. That you were courting someone else. He didn't take that too well.'

I almost jumped back in shock.

I hadn't been courting anyone else.

I'd never courted anyone other than James.

I'd hardly spoken to any other men other than James.

'I didn't tell him that. I have never courted anyone else.' I told Philip.

Philip apologised instantly.

'I'm sorry. I must be mistaken. It was a few years ago now, so I can't truly remember what he said exactly. I just presumed…I'm sorry.' He stuttered.

'You remember correctly.' Rose suddenly said, staring at her husband.

The three of us were quite taken aback by her statement.

'But, you also don't lie.' Rose said, turning on me.

She took a moment, her face contorting in thought.

'I don't understand it. You both speak the truth, yet you contradict each other. There is more that no one knows.' She said, in that strange dreamlike manner that she said everything.

As suddenly as she had fallen into her daze, she was just as quickly snapped out of it.

I had not a clue as to what was going on with her. I knew she was odd, but this was even confusing me, and I had seen some pretty odd things. My siblings being turned into animals, for one thing.

'Anyway,' Philip said quickly, as if trying to divert our attention away from his wife, 'We'd very much like to hear about what you say happened between Duchess Knox and her Stepdaughter, Bianca? Is it?'

I nodded, and then gestured to Scarlett.

'I wasn't there five years ago, but Scarlett was.'

Philip and Rose turned their attention wholly onto Scarlett, as she began to talk. She told them exactly what had happened to her that night.

She recalled how she had been woken in the middle of the night by her sister in a bloodstained dress. Bianca had told her that their father had died only a few hours before, and Nerissa was sending guards after her. Scarlett, being only a child of fourteen, had begged her sister to stay, but Bianca embraced her, and then fled down the servant's corridor, not to be seen again. The palace guards had burst into Scarlett's room only moments later, and she had screamed so loudly in terror and sadness, that they quickly left.

Scarlett then went on to tell them of the announcement the next morning. How Nerissa had stood before the court and told everyone how Bianca had slipped something into her father's food, and tried to bribe one of the servants to do it with her late mother's ring. Nerissa even had the ring as proof. Scarlett told them how sick she felt when she saw her mother's ring in the hands of that evil bitch.

Nerissa then declared Bianca a traitor and murderer, and condemned her to death before the entire court. The matter of Duke Knox's succession would be solved at a later time, as Scarlett was still only a child, so not capable of ruling.

Nerissa agreed with some prominent lords that it would be best if she stood in as acting Duchess, until Scarlett reached her majority. Scarlett however knew that every word she was saying was a lie. Nerissa never intended to give back Scarlett's power once she reached eighteen.

So, Scarlett told the royal couple how she had kept her head down, and tried her best to hide in plain sight in the court. She didn't want to anger Nerissa, in case she did something to her that was similar than what she had done to her sister. She had mastered the art of blending in with her surroundings very well.

However, that had all changed the night she had followed some of the court ladies to a birthday party for a Duchess. There, Scarlett had met the most wonderful young man who claimed to have knowledge that not only was her sister alive, but thriving and doing her best to irritate their stepmother.

Scarlett blushed as she talked about Alexander. I had to simply bit my lip as she spoke. This was my little brother she was discussing. And while I knew he was all grown up and married, it still felt odd to me to have someone talk about him in such a way.

Scarlett eventually finished her story with her escape from the palace and marriage to Alexander.

I then took over, and described how I had met Bianca all those years ago, on the path to Milton. How we had become close friends, despite the rocky start. I told Rose and Philip how was had come to be on the road that day that Nerissa's guards had almost captured us, and how grateful we were than Rose had allowed us to hide.

I left the gap in my story about James, as I had already related most of it to Rose, but picked it up again when Scarlett had joined the family. I told them about the wedding day, and how Bianca was reunited with her sister.

And then, I had the unpleasant task of telling Rose and Philip what had happened in Ellerton.

The disgusting slaughter of innocents.

How Nerissa had killed three innocent men, because her two stepdaughters had managed to get away from her, and stood as a threat by reclaiming their father's title.

She had murdered those men in cold blood to try and get back of two young girls who had done nothing more than survive.

Philip looked like he was going to be sick, and Rose's face drained entirely of colour.

'Nerissa murdered Mr Dixon, Mr Joynce, and Mr Palmer. She dragged them out of their homes, and hung them by the neck until they were dead. They screamed and cried out for mercy. But, they had committed no crime, other than trying to feed their families. Now, those families will have no husband, or father to come home to, and no hope for justice. You can change that. You alone have the power to help us.' I told them.

Philip seemed stunned into silence.

'When did this happen?' Rose asked.

'A few days ago. We received the news too late to do anything. They were good men, innocent men. And I know more than most about how hard it is to lose someone you love. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.' I said.

Philip nodded.

The two of us both knew what it was like. We had both lost the same man, and both grieved for him.

Rose leaned forward again, and surveyed me with her gaze.

'You tell the truth.' She admitted, finally.

Once again, I didn't question how she knew that, or why she had the gift to tell. Especially, as it seemed to be enough for Philip to agree with us.

'Nerissa is guilty then, of not only her husband's murder, but unlawful seizure of his lands and the murder of our subjects.' Philip announced.

'She's terrorised my people ever since she took power. She almost killed Bianca for the simply crime of being in her way. She tried to force me to marry so I couldn't claim my father's title. She's taxed her people so they starved, and kept it all herself. None of it went back to the people, or to the crown, where it belonged. Her treasure trove has only grown since she claimed power.' Scarlett added.

'What difference would that make?' Rose asked.

'It might help in convincing the King and Queen that what we ask is justified.' I replied.

'And what precisely do you ask for?' Rose questioned.

I sighed, realising that the time had come.

'We ask,' I began, 'For your help in bringing Nerissa to justice.'

'How? She's a Duchess, we can't just arrest her, even with the proof that she killed those men unlawfully. She would not allow it, she would fight back.' Philip said.

'We know. Which is why we're asking you, on Bianca's behalf, for men.'

'Men?'

'Soldiers. To take back the Duke's palace and arrest Nerissa.' I said plainly.

'Soldiers? To start a war?' Philip asked shocked.

'Hopefully not. If we could have men to surround the palace, and hold it under siege until Nerissa surrenders, it could be almost…bloodless.' I tried to explain.

The word felt sour in my mouth. I had never wanted to be the cause of anyone's suffering, and here I was, asking for men to risk their lives. I was already talking about them as numbers, and not as real people.

'I hate the idea of war, just as much as you.' I admitted. 'But I truly don't think there is any other way to bring Nerissa down. The people of that county would be free, and no longer under such a tyrannical ruler, who could kill them at any moment. Bianca would protect her people, like she has been trying to do all her life. It's her birth-right, and her destiny. Nerissa must be mad to do such horrid things to her own people, who knows what she will do next.'

Philip seemed to be weighing up what exactly I had just said.

But Rose had taken a different approach.

She continued to stare at me, giving no indication of any reaction or emotion. Her beautiful face remained as it had been, as if it had been carved out of stone.

It struck me at that moment how much she did look like royalty.

I had seen her in the silver crown since the moment she had walked through the door. But it was only now that she truly looked like a Princess, and our future queen.

Her back was straight, and her shoulders gracefully pulled back. Her head was held high, and she balanced the crown wonderfully well.

Philip then turned to his wife, making it very clear that it was her decision to make. Although he was a prince, she was his superior. She was the heir to the throne, and the one who would one day rule this kingdom.

After several painstaking minutes of silence, I could hardly stand to wait more.

I was just about to open my mouth to add something…anything…

But Rose cleared her throat, and declared,

'Duchess Nerissa cannot continue as Duchess. Whatever Bianca needs, we will provide. You have our complete support.'

I thought my heart had stopped beating, such was my shock.

I could hardly react.

We had done it.

Rose was on our side.

The princess supported us.

A smile broke out across my face, and Scarlett breathless exclaimed her delight.

Even Philip grinned a little.

'So,' he asked. 'Where do we start?'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six.**

We had done it.

We had done exactly what we had set out to do.

Scarlett and I had convinced Princess Rose that she should help us in deposing Nerissa.

After Rose and Philip had agreed, everything moved quickly.

Rose had told us to wait until the audience session was over. We were shown to a private room, close to the royal families own quarters. It was just over an hour later, that the doors opened, and the entire royal family entered.

The King and Queen glanced over Scarlett and myself with cautious eyes. I didn't know what Rose had already told them, but if it was what I suspected, it was something to do with the fact we wanted to start a war.

Philip introduced us to the King and Queen, and Rose began to talk.

We had to do almost nothing. Rose told them everything, and only glanced to me when I had to fill in minor details. Philip spoke for my character. He told them of how I had married his late friend, and anyone that James had trusted was an extraordinary person. I would have been flattered by the statement, if I hadn't been so miserable at the mention of his name.

The whole thing took less than an afternoon.

We had arrived a little before nine in the morning, and by the time the sun had set, we had secured the Royal family's backing and approval, and been promised a legion of men to help us take the palace.

Philip was to join us, as the legion commander. At least he had a little military training. If they had simply handed over control of the men to us, we all would have been at a complete loss. None of us knew how to command an army. But now, we had Philip.

Rose would not be joining us. She had no desire to go anywhere near a battlefield, not that I could blame her. I think her parents also wanted her to stay close by. After eighteen years of separation, they were anxious not to let her out their sight.

The thought of being on a battlefield terrified me, more than I dared admit. I had no training, no military experience. I'd never even held a weapon in my hands. And I was no healer either. I had no idea how I was going to make myself useful, other than to use my title as authority.

Scarlett would be going. She had made it quite clear she wanted to be there when Nerissa was finally brought down. Scarlett had unanswered questions, and she was going to get answers for them.

However, perhaps the biggest achievement of the day was not the acquisition of an army.

But rather, the small piece of paper that was handed to Scarlett.

The piece of paper, bearing the royal seal, and the most incredible news for our family.

A royal pardon.

For Bianca.

She was now a free woman, no longer an outlaw. She had been pardoned of all past crimes, and officially re-instated as her father's heir.

She would no longer have to hide from the people of Rault, or Ellerton, or anyone. Nerissa might hunt her down, but she was no longer an accused murderess.

The royal family had declared her innocent for the murder of her father.

After five years, she was free.

Even I felt tears of joy rise when I saw the King press his seal onto the page.

Finally, justice.

After all this pain, after all this suffering; she had finally managed to clear her name. Rose told her parents of Bianca's character, and they all agreed that such a woman could not have killed her father in cold blood.

And they had heard tales of Nerissa's cruelty. Mainly through gossip and second-hand accounts. But once the story of the three innocent men reached their ears, they were convinced. They found it hard to believe that someone could be that cruel toward their own people. The King and Queen had spent their entire lives trying to protect their people. Nerissa had to be dealt with.

They also dispatched a messenger and a few soldiers to inform her. They had stripped her of her title, and declared that she was a wanted murderess. We all knew that she wouldn't accept this.

At best, she would ignore it, and continue to rule until the army arrived.

And at worst…

The messenger had been told not to enter the castle. He had to find a way to give her the note and get out, hopefully before she read it. The royal family didn't want him to lose his life over this.

But either way, Bianca had almost won. She had gained her pardon, and if she could take the castle, she would be Duchess. As was her birth-right.

That night, we were offered lodgings at the Palace, and told that a carriage would be available to us in the morning to return us to Rault.

Now that Bianca was free, we had no qualms about telling Rose that Bianca now lived with us, and would be delighted to hear the news.

So, the first and only time, I slept in a royal palace.

I had stayed in Duke Howard's palace before, and I had lived in the manor house for over three months. But none of it compared to the Royal palace.

A bath was drawn for me, hot and sweet smelling. I lay in the comfortable tub for far too long, relishing in calmness it provided for me. I never got such a luxury at home. We got a bucket of tepid water, if we were lucky.

And the bed!

I almost sunk into it. The blankets and pillows seemed to nearly smother me. I dared not ask the servant just how many feathers were used in the making of that bed.

Scarlett had been given the room next to me, which was just as grand. Even though she was no longer a lady, she was the sister of the rightful Duchess, and the daughter of the late Duke. That more than made up for her low born marriage in the eyes of the royal family.

Honestly, I didn't think Philip or Rose would mind either way, but the to the King and Queen, it seemed to matter. I thought I would get chance to talk to Rose again, but it was not to be.

I shouldn't have been surprised. She was the crown Princess after all, of course she had many demands on her time. As soon as the matter of Bianca's pardon was solved, she was whisked away by a servant who told her she had to change to meet with a foreign ambassador. Philip too, left.

I was curious to talk to her once more. If anything, I wanted to know what she was going to say about Philip's strange disappearance.

James had gone looking for an entire week, and if I had known that it was going to be one of the few I was going to get with him, I would not have let him go. So naturally, I wanted to know why exactly my husband had had to leave my side. I would have done anything to get that time back.

But I didn't get to see either of them that night. So, I blew out my candle, and climbed into the bed, and succumbed to dreams.

* * *

'Marion?'

At the sound of my name, my eyes flew open.

Disorientated for a brief moment, I glanced around my unfamiliar surroundings. Bright light shone through the large ornate windows; blinding my momentarily.

'Hmm?' I asked, blinking.

Finally, I managed to focus my gaze, and found someone sitting on the end of my bed.

The pale blonde hair and unusual violet made it obvious who was there.

'Your highness!' I exclaimed, sitting up immediately and dragging the sheets up around me.

Rose smiled a little.

'Your highness? It still sounds strange to hear it from you.' She said.

I felt so self-conscious. The future queen was sitting on the edge of my bed, while I lay asleep in my nightgown.

She was in my room. Just perched on my bed, quite content.

'But that is what you are.' I reasoned, wiping the sleep from my eyes, still recoiling from my shock of seeing the crown princess in my room.

Rose shrugged.

'It is still odd. For eighteen years, I was alone in that cottage. And now, I'm a princess. Even with everything that happened with the fae, the princess part is still the most odd.'

At that, I truly woke up.

'The fae?' I asked.

Rose nodded.

I sat up straight in the bed, and stared at the peculiar girl before me.

And I knew it was impertinent of me to ask her, given that she was royalty. But I'd had enough of not knowing what was happening. I deserved answers.

'Rose.' I began. 'May I ask you something?'

She turned to face me.

'Why are you here?' I asked her.

Rose raised her eyebrow.

'I would have thought that was obvious' She replied.

'Not really, no.' I admitted.

She sighed a little.

'I knew you were curious. I could sense it on you.' She said. 'You have questions. And I'm here to answer them.'

Stunned, I stumbled for the proper wording to ask the princess. Rose was not someone I could just talk to like I talk to my family, regardless as to whether she was my friend or not. She was royalty now.

Finally, I found the words.

'I have spent the past year, mourning the man I loved. And it has been awful. Truly awful.'

Rose simply waited for me to continue.

'And I know that it is not just me that is suffering. James was a wonderful man, who…who wasn't perfect….but a good man, none the less. He really cared about Philip and his other friends. James never got to know what happened to Philip when he disappeared for months. May I know? Where did he go?'

The princess nodded.

'He was searching for me.' She said plainly.

I had already managed to figure that out.

'It all started only hours after you and Bianca left. I was alone, and left to tend to the orchard. That was when he arrived.'

The smile on her face left me in no doubt as to who the mysterious person was.

'He spoke to me, had time for me. He was on his way home, but still… I don't know…wanted to be near me.'

I hardly knew what to say to her. I had no idea what she had experienced. After so long in isolation, her view of speaking to people would be quite different to mine.

'We talked. But he had to leave. I didn't want him to, but he had to go. Then, Aunt Mary called me inside. They were all there, Flora, Mary and Sybil. And they began to tell me about my parents. How they had actually loved me very much all my life, but had been forced to give me up.'

I had a sense as to where the tale was headed, but I kept silent.

'I'd never thought much of my parents, but then, I was forced to accept the fact that they were still alive and had given me to someone else to raise. I love my aunts, I truly do. But they were no substitute. They tried their hardest, of that, I am sure. However, nothing can rival a parent's love.'

I nodded at her statement.

My own parents had adored us. Each of us. Eight children of different ages, was no easy task, under any situation, but they had made each and every one of us feel loved and treasured. We may have only been lowborns, but we were rich in happiness and love.

'Then they told me that not only were my parents alive, but they were also the King and Queen. And that made me a Princess and their only living heir. It was quite the shock.'

Rose smiled just a little.

'Over the course of one day, I had spoken to three new people, and discovered that I had a grand heritage. I…It was…so fast. And terrifying. I'd spoken to almost no one in eighteen years, and everything I had been told proved to be a lie. I had parents. I had a family. And everything that hadn't made sense before now did. My Aunts…they told me that I was kept away from other people because I was different, and it was rude to ask anything more. So I never did.'

That part didn't surprise me. The girl I knew had been completely cut off from the world, oblivious to the usual curiosity that came from interacting with new people.

'They told me that I would be taken to the royal palace the day after my birthday. It was crucial that I only return once I had turned eighteen. They wanted to avoid…to stop…her.'

Rose sighed.

'You said your family were put under a fae spell, so you probably know what it is like. But I was told that I had been under a fae spell my entire life. When I was born, there was an incident. Even now, I don't know all the details. It was someone Flora, Mary and Sybil were terrified of. And with good reason.'

'I do know something about being scared of a faerie that put a curse on you.' I added.

Rose only nodded.

'What do you know of the fae?' She asked.

'Only a little, from stories mainly.' I replied.

'So, do you know of the ruling fae? There are always thirteen of them, the most powerful faeries to exist at any given time. Flora, Mary, and Sybil are three of them. She was another.'

'She?' I asked.

Rose shrugged. 'I never found out her name. And no one will tell me.'

I nodded, and then gestured for her to continue.

'And I was told that one of the thirteen had golden magic. He was quite old, and killed last year. Was he the one who cursed your family?'

I nodded again. The one who had caused me so much suffering. My jaw tightened involuntarily.

'The fae are not like us. They do not feel the way we feel. They have a different way of seeing the world. And I truly think they mean well. My aunts…they were always trying to find ways to help me. But I think they see the large picture, the grand scheme at work. They see all the parts working together, rather than the individual. They want the best outcome for all, not for one person. However, there is not always only one way of doing things, and they do make mistakes. No one is perfect. And I think that she had a different way of seeing things.'

She seemed to take a few moments to collect her thoughts.

'People who do things differently are feared, whoever they are. I've seen it happen here at court. If someone thinks of something new, they are instantly stopped by the others. I've only been here a year, and already I can see how rigid these people are. Maybe it's for the best, and maybe it isn't. I can't tell.'

'So, do you think this fae was right?' I asked.

Rose shrugged.

'I don't know. I never asked her for her reason. And no one will tell me what it was. But because of her, my parents gave me away. Because of her, I spent every day of my childhood imagining that they didn't love me. And she caused everything else to happen…So I truly do not know if she was right.'

'But for whatever reason, she placed a spell on me. That was to happen on my eighteenth birthday. My Aunts were to take care of me until that day, when they would return me to the palace, and to my parents. I didn't even wait to hear the end of what they had to say. I was a coward and ran to my room. I…was…I don't know how to describe it….feeling too much? I could not focus on a single thought. Everything seemed to swirl around me.'

'Now I do know what that is like.' I told her.

'When did it happen to you?' She asked.

'The moment James asked me to marry him. I had too many things to think of that my mind seemed to spin out of control. But I still married him, so it all worked out for the best in the end.'

I regretted saying that the moment the words left my mouth.

It hadn't all worked out for the best, that much was obvious. What would have happened if we hadn't married? Yes, my siblings and I would have had a much more difficult time over the next few months, but we might have found a way to survive. Would James have gone to Ella's birthday and contracted the fever in the same way? Would he have married Lady Imogen, and lived? He might have claimed not to love her, but if I hadn't been there, mightn't he have?

These were all questions I had to stop asking myself. I was never going to know. No one was ever going to know.

Because he was gone.

And I truly had to learn to accept that. I just couldn't seem to do it.

'You're thinking of him.' Rose said, a statement, not a question.

I nodded.

'I can tell. You have that glint in your eye.'

'What glint?'

'You had the same one yesterday, when you spoke of him. One of longing and sadness, but not one of despair.'

The corner of my mouth involuntarily twisted up at that.

'Good. I must be improving then. A few months ago, I was all despair.' I joked.

Rose didn't respond, but instead shifted her skirt around her.

'Anyway, you were telling me your story.' I said, and she nodded in response.

'I was angry at them. For several hours. I thought I was able to tell when someone was lying to me, and they had lied to me my entire life. I didn't come down to dinner, and I left the house early in the morning so I didn't have to speak to them. For days, this continued.'

'And then, I realised that my anger was not at my aunts. They had done what they could. For eighteen years, they had watched over me, and raised me. They had simply done what they believed to be the right thing. No, my anger was towards my parents. For giving me up, abandoning me, instead of fighting for me.'

I shuddered. I couldn't possibly imagine what Rose could have felt. I loved my parents, and missed them dearly. But they had always been there for me, to hold my hand and lead the way. I had always been loved. But Rose had never had that. She had been alone.

'So, I went back to the cottage and apologised to my aunts. They forgave me, and told me they had packed all our things, ready to leave. They were meant to bring me back to the palace the day after my birthday. My parents were going to be there, to welcome me back with open arms. I wasn't so sure I wanted that, but I could only hope.'

'Before I knew it, my birthday arrived. My aunts even made me a cake, and presented me with a court dress, and a box of jewels. They had the royal seal, so I guessed they were given to me a long time ago for that exact purpose. The whole day was rather underwhelming. From the way they spoke of my birthday, I was expecting something terrible to happen. But nothing did.'

'The next day, we left. I said goodbye to the cottage, my home for eighteen years and left. Whatever danger the curse had placed me under had now passed, my aunts claimed. So I was free to be a princess. We arrived at the castle in the late afternoon, and was surprised to find no one waiting for us. The guards almost didn't let us by, until someone said I was the queen. I didn't understand it at the time, but they let us through.'

Rose sighed.

'We were taken to a small room. Out of the way, and the King and Queen were informed. I had to wait to see if my parents wanted to see me.'

'Then, they finally arrived.'

She hung her head a little.

'They were horrified at first. I could sense it on them. And any hope I had for a family disappeared from my heart.'

'But, they didn't speak to me first, but to my aunts. They shouted and screamed at them. I didn't understand what was happening, until the King shouted something about my birthday. How they were supposed to keep me hidden until my birthday had passed. As it happens, my birthday is actually the 13th of April, not the 12th, as I had been told. I had not turned eighteen the day before, but rather on that day.'

'I finally met my mother, and she looked at me as if she was horrified. I had expected love or joy, but neither occurred. She only seemed to be terrified. I couldn't take, so I ran. I ran so far that I didn't know what corridor I ended up in. They all look so familiar here.'

Rose glanced to the ground.

'And that is all I can remember. After that, everything becomes a complete mystery to me. I can only remember being so annoyed at my parents for not wanting me. The rest of the story I only heard from Philip and my mother and father. I was put under a curse, but I can remember none of it.'

'A small blessing then.' I told her. I had been subjected to another curse, and I knew that I would rather forget it, if I could.

'Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.' Rose said.

I simply waited for her to continue. I had not a clue as to what she was talking about.

'Philip tells me that I was place under a spell. I couldn't remember anything because she had already got to me. I was kept locked in a room in the palace for my protection, but it was already too late. She had managed to gain control of me, and she used it, just like the spell said she would. I was lead somewhere, without my knowledge or consent, and my finger pricked on a spindle, and I fell asleep. I remember nothing until I awoke, some one hundred days later.'

I stared ay Rose in disbelief.

'You were asleep for one hundred days?' I asked.

She nodded.

'One hundred days exactly.'

'But that's over three months. That must have been a week after James's birthday; when he disappeared.'

Rose nodded once again.

'I'm sorry Marion, but I don't truly know what happened during that time. One minute, I was awake and fine, the next, I was asleep, and one hundred days past. I know what Philip and my Father told me, but I do not know myself what occurred.'

A small part of the hope that had lodged in my chest drooped a little at that news.

'I awoke, as if from a pleasant slumber. And I found Philip stood just above me. My lips were wet, and Philip looked over joyed. I hadn't seen him since the day in the glade, which to me only felt like a week before. But as I looked at him, I felt something…fall into place. Like it was meant to be. And I think he felt it too.'

Rose smiled a little.

'He had kissed me, and it had broken whatever curse I had been placed under. True love's kiss was what my parents told me after. And now I'm married to him, I know it was true love.'

The princess then lifted her gaze to meet mine.

'Do you believe in true love?' She asked honestly.

I shrugged.

'I haven't given the matter much thought.' I replied.

'What about your husband? Do you think that was what you shared?'

I was rather stunned by her question. It wasn't everyday someone asked me something so personal. But Rose was no ordinary girl.

So, I thought about it. I truly did.

'I don't think it was true love.' I told her, and I meant it.

'Why not?'

'I loved James deeply. More than I've ever loved anyone else in my life. And there were many coincidences that could easily be explained if we were meant to be.'

I took a deep breath.

'But, I don't want him to be my true love. If that is so, then that was it. That was all the love and happiness I am ever going to get in this life. A meagre three and a half months. And while I will never stop loving him, I don't want to love only him. I'm only twenty-one years old, and I hope to have a long life. And I don't want to have to go through all of it alone.'

As soon as I spoke those words, I had to catch my breath.

I felt lighter, freer.

More than I had done in months.

I had finally admitted it to myself.

I didn't want to spend the rest of my life alone, pining for a dead man. I wanted there to be hope. Hope that I could move on from him.

In my mind, I could almost see Bianca beaming at me, so proud that I could finally admit that. And part of me hoped that James, where ever he was, would be proud of me too

Fresh tears stung my eyes, as I could finally feel myself healing.

This wasn't going to be forever. I could get through this. Bianca had assured me of such, but it was only now that I truly believed her.

I could recover. I could be happy again, one day. It was possible.

'Marion? Are you alright?'

Rose's voice snapped me out of my daze.

'Yes.' I replied honestly. 'Yes, I am actually alright.'

I glanced to the princess, and saw she was a little at a loss as to how to continue. I was still reeling from my revelation, so I smiled happily at her, and asked,

'So, what did Philip say happened in those hundred days?' I asked.

Rose had flew instinctively to the golden wedding ring on her finger.

'He was looking for me. After that day I met him in the glade, he returned home to see his father and mother. But once he had finished looking over the account books and finances, and had stayed enough time to satisfy his parents, he left. He came to find me, but only found the empty cottage. It was after my birthday, so I would have already been asleep. He said he was worried about me, and left, trying to track me down. He asked around the local villages, but no one had heard of me. My aunts had done their job well.'

Then, Rose sighed.

'He did find one person who claimed to know where I was. She told Philip I was on a ship, going across the sea, and that there was no time to waste. He set off immediately, without telling anyone where he was going. However, I was not on the ship, and the woman who had told him that was where I was, was no woman at all. She was the faerie who had cursed me in the first place.'

I sat, enraptured by her story. I knew the fae were strange folk, but I never thought they would try so hard to separate two people.

'Why?' I asked.

'She needed Philip as far away from me as she could get him. She even placed a small curse on him. He wouldn't remember to tell anyone where he was. It was so subtle, he didn't even notice it until later, when Aunt Mary found it on him. Every time he thought about writing home, to tell his parents or his friends where he was, he simply forgot.'

Even I had to admit that was rather clever. It made him almost untraceable, unreachable. And it was subtle enough that Philip would never question it. If he had suddenly forgotten about why he was chasing after this girl, especially if it was true love, I suspected he would have figured it out eventually.

'Philip spent most of the hundred day looking for me, across the sea. Meanwhile, my parents were trying to find a way to wake me. They told the court that there was a sudden outbreak of a disease, and sent everybody home, so no one would know that I was alive, and cursed.'

I almost gasped in understanding. James had told me, a year ago, that the royal court suddenly had been overcome with illness, and everyone had been sent home. The announcement of Rose had come only a few months after that.

'So that's why the court was sent home. You had returned.' I said.

Rose only nodded.

'My parents were trying find anyway to break the curse. So were my aunts. They felt awful that they had failed in their one task. They tried everything they could think of. However, the one way to end my curse was already given to them at the time of my birth. True love. The only problem was that my aunts had done such a good job of keeping every one away that I had met no one in order to fall in love with them. I hadn't told them about Philip, I hadn't had time to. My parents were at a loss as to what to do.'

'Then, finally, Sybil managed to find a way. They used their magic, and saw my dreams. And in my dream, I happened to be meeting Philip in the glade all over again. My parents and my aunts saw him, and knew that he was the one to break the curse. They only had to find him.'

I had a sense as to where the story was headed, but I couldn't seem to place one nagging feeling.

This all sounded very familiar, like I had heard it once before. Only I couldn't place where. Or even if I had heard it before. It somehow didn't seem real, like I had heard it in a dream, once, long ago.

'It took a long time, weeks I think. As we are the royal family, it made it slightly easier for Philip to be tracked down. My parents have men and gold at their disposal. Philip was found, and asked to come back to the palace. He didn't have any idea why, and apparently put up quite a fight, saying he had to stay there and find me. But he followed them eventually.'

I had to take a moment to take it all in. Philip had been abroad, in another country. I was so grateful that James hadn't taken it into his head to follow him. If he had, I might have had no time with him whatsoever. We could have passed almost the entire three months of our marriage, and hardly seen each other.

'Philip arrived at the palace, and my parents immediately explained to him who I was, and what had happened to me. He raced up the stairs, followed by my parents, and managed to break the curse.'

Rose smiled.

'I awoke, and one of the first things I heard was my mother screaming with joy. She ran to me and wrapped her arms around me, sobbing. I hardly knew what to feel. The last time I had seen her, I had been shouting at her for giving me away. But I had no idea as to what was happening. Both my parents embraced me, as did my aunts. Philip stood to the side, unsure of what to do. That was when my parents confessed everything to me. About the faerie's visit all those years ago, and how they knew they had to give me up to be safe. But they told me that they had loved me my entire life, and that they were never going to let me go again.'

'I know it was wrong of me to still feel anger towards them, but I did. Eighteen years of living without parents was not easy to reverse. They eventually let me move, and I told them I wanted to speak to Philip. He smiled at me, and I knew he felt it too. My parents left, begrudgingly, and I could finally speak to him. Philip told me about what had happened to him. I almost didn't care about what had happened to him. I just wanted to get to know him. He was… still a mystery to me, and also my true love. So, we talked, for the first time in months, even though to me, it was only days.'

Rose looked towards her wedding ring, and grinned.

'After that, I think you know the rest. My parents kept the court closed while they began to teach me about the royal court, and prepared me for my announcement. They also kept Philip with us. We couldn't have news of my survival break before we announced it. And while we did trust Philip, it was simpler to keep him here. I also wanted to be close to him. What we had was true love after all. It was strange, and took a while for us both to admit it, but we did manage to come to terms with our situation.'

'And as for my parents, my anger finally began to fade away. They were so attentive, so loving towards me, that it showed how much they had missed me. It took a long and honest conversation with my mother to get me to begin to forgive them for their actions. She did all she could to keep me, and I truly believe that she will never let anything else harm me, ever again. And as for my father, he is one of the most caring souls I have ever met. I couldn't have imagined better parents. I now love them with all my heart, and I forgive and understand their actions.'

She met my gaze once more.

'About a week before the announcement was due to be made, Philip asked us what exactly his new position would be at the court. My father confessed that no one had decided. So, Philip got down on one knee, and asked me to be his wife.'

The smile on her face left me in no doubt as to her affections towards Philip.

'I'm guessing you said yes.' I teased.

Rose instantly looked a little confused.

'I'm joking.' I explained.

'Oh.' She said, appearing to understand.

'I did notice you were married, so I know you said yes.' I told her.

Rose smiled.

'I was just happy to marry Philip, but my parents were also happy that if I announced that I was betrothed, then lords of the court and foreign dignitaries wouldn't seek me out as a potential bride. And they knew and liked Philip. It solved a lot of problems.'

'It shouldn't matter that it solved problems. The only thing that matters is that you are happy. You deserve to be happy Rose.' I said.

The princess shifted a little on the edge of my bed, her long blonde curls were tossed over her shoulder.

'I am happy. I'm loved by my family, and I live here, in this beautiful palace. What more could I want?' She responded.

She moved, as if to stand, but I threw out my hand to stop her. She looked curiously at me, but I held her gaze.

'May I ask you one more thing?' I begged.

She only nodded.

'Why did you agree to help us? We asked for men to start a battle, and we know that some of them might not return. Why have you given them to us?'

Rose stared at me with those round violet eyes, her expression turned peculiar once again.

'Don't mistake me, I'm very grateful that you've given your help. I just don't quite understand why.' I continued.

The princess straightened her back as she rose from the bed.

'Because I believe in justice. I have not been a princess long, but I know how cruel the world can be. I've seen it at court, lords and ladies who purposely hurt others to get what they desire, who don't deserve it. I am only one person, but I have influence. I try to use it to help people, to make all my sudden riches worth something. I did nothing to deserve them, but be born to my mother and father. I know that I have to earn them.'

She sighed a little.

'But, the real reason…was Philip.' She admitted.

I sat puzzled.

'Philip saw you in the audience chamber, and was reminded of his friend. The friend he was heartbroken about. Philip grieved for weeks, right up until our wedding for James. He truly cared for him.'

My gaze fell to the floor as I was reminded of those months I grieved for him as well.

'He was the one who wanted to help. I did too, but when the audience session started, he whispered in my ear, _Marion was James's wife. She must be a strong woman to have married him, so she will not be here lightly...she must be desperate. And no doubt, whatever reason she is here for, James would have been by her side if he was here. In his memory, we have to help her.'_

My eyes stung with unshed tears. My hands had curled into fists without my knowing.

'You helped me, for him?' I asked, my voice unsteady.

Rose nodded slightly.

I hardly knew what to think.

'Philip said last night, that if he were still here, he'd be the one with a sword at his side, fighting for you.'

I sniffled, my head still spinning.

'Thank you. I hope he would have.' I told her.

'I'll leave you to get dressed. The carriage will be waiting to take you home in an hour. And Philip will be along with the men in two days time.' She said, making her way towards the door.

'I'm sorry.' I called.

'For what?'

'For taking him with us to war. I know…I know that if he had… if…we had been separated…by a war…I would have hated every moment.' I admitted.

Rose seemed to pause for a moment.

'I will hate it. But it is the right thing to do. And good will come of it. Nerissa will not be able to hurt anyone ever again. Philip will make sure of it.'

She turned to go again, but held back for just one moment.

'Can you promise me…that he will return to me?' She asked.

I knew how scared she was. I would have been too.

'I can't promise. But I will try.' I told her honestly.

Rose nodded slightly. Even now, she looked like royalty, her head held high and her shoulders squared.

'I know you will.' She replied, before turning back and leaving the room, with a practiced air of grace. The door clicked shut, and I slumped back against my bed.

There was much to think through, everything that Rose had told me. But the only thing I can think about was James. As soon as Rose had mentioned him, that was all that consumed my thoughts.

Philip had said that James would have been here with me, sword in hand and my most vocal supporter. He had been his friend, so he knew what he was talking about.

And I wished it to be true.

'Marion? Are you awake?' Came a voice from the other side of the wall.

'Yes Scar.' I shouted back, finally moving from my bed, and standing.

'Do we have to go?' her muffled voice echoing through the walls.

'Yes, soon.' I told her, hurrying behind the changing screen.

I pulled on the dress I had brought, and fastened my necklace around my neck.

We had done what we had set out to do, and moreover, I now had answers. I knew where Philip had been, and what had happened to Rose. It had been a morning full of answers.

And we had news. News to tell the now restored Duchess.

Duchess Bianca Knox. She had her pardon, and title.

We only had a war to win now.

Just a war.

How hard could that be?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven.**

Two days later, we were ready.

Well, as ready as we could be.

None of us really had much experience as to what to pack for a siege, and a potential war.

All our belongings were packed onto the back of the cart, not that there was much we were taking. Just a few changes of clothes. None of us owned any weapons, other that Bianca's bow and small knife in her boot. We just had to hope that Philip and his men could supply us with something to defend ourselves with.

It had been an incredible two days since we returned from the palace. Rose had provided us with a carriage, and a servant rode behind us with our cart and Penny. Our family was quite in shock when they saw the royal carriage pull to a stop at the end of the path. Bianca had hidden, and only emerged when the carriage had driven off, and there were no servants in sight. Scarlett and I waited outside the entire time with knowing smiles on our faces.

All my siblings joined us, but we gave nothing away. Even Alexander couldn't get it out of Scarlett, which was almost impossible. They were so close; I knew there were very few secrets between them.

Gwen had once again attached herself to my leg, and began to beg me to tell her all about the princess. She wanted to know everything that had happened at the royal court. Clara wanted to know all about the handsome young men we had seen, and all the beautiful dresses the ladies had worn. And she reminded us in no uncertain terms our promise to take her with us next time we visited the royal court.

Bianca finally crept out of her hiding place. Confusion was written over her face at the assembly before her.

Scarlett had stepped forward to her sister, beaming; and embraced her without a word.

'I have the absolute joy,' She told her sister, 'Of presenting this to Duchess Bianca Knox.'

Bianca's mouth fell open.

As did the rest of my siblings.

Scarlett held out the sealed parchment that I had seen the King sign only the day before.

In shock, Bianca took the parchment and carefully peeled it open.

I knew exactly what was written on the other side.

'I'm pardoned?' Bianca whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the words. It was almost as if she was too scared to, in case they disappeared.

Scarlett and I just nodded.

'I'm pardoned!' She repeated in a louder voice.

Gwen let out a joyous cry and ran to Bianca who embraced my baby sister. Gwen was followed by Robbie, then Scarlett too joined the embrace.

It wasn't long before all of us were gathered around Bianca; cheering and laughing that we had prevailed.

'I'm free.' She said to herself quietly.

I was so happy for her. I did know something of finally being free. That day when the spell had broken, I had felt such tremendous joy, it was almost unbearable. And that was only after three months, Bianca had been on the run for over five years. I could only imagine what she was feeling.

It would be fair to say that quite a few tears were shed that day. Mainly from Scarlett, but some from Bianca too. Though, she did try to hide them.

We had celebrated all day, and well into the night. Daniel started a habit of calling Bianca 'Your Grace', something she found incredibly annoying, which of course only made him do it more.

The following day had been more sobering. We had recanted every word we could remember about Philip's plan for the siege. Bianca listened intently, but looked a little uncomfortable when we talked of the part of the palace that would be targeted. I imagined that hearing about people talking of trying to destroy the place you grew up would be rather an odd experience.

It was decided amongst us that five of us would go. Bianca, Scarlett, Alexander, Daniel and myself. I didn't really want Daniel to go. For my own peace of mind, I would have preferred that he stay at the cottage with the other five. But he was nineteen years old, and capable of making his own decisions as he reminded us several times. There was nothing we could do to stop him coming along. He also unpleasantly reminded us that men need only be sixteen to join the army, so it was entirely possible that some of the men that Philip would be controlling may be quite a bit younger than Daniel. It made us all too uncomfortable to say no.

Clara was staying behind. She had no wish to see a battle field, and besides, we needed someone to look after the little ones. She was seventeen, almost eighteen, so we trusted her with the youngest four.

That day was spent trying to figure out what exactly we would need to bring with us to the camp. None of us had ever been to an army camp before, or even seen one for that matter. Bianca was the only one of us with any idea of how to defend herself. It was something that was quickly remedied.

Bianca insisted on teaching each of us how to hold a knife, and where to stab. I hoped with all my heart I would never need to use my recently acquired skill. We drilled it, repeating the motion over and over until our arms ached. But at least we knew what to do.

The sun began to set as we all made our way to bed, well aware that this would be the last time in possibly a long while we would ever get the chance to sleep in it. Possibly the last time ever.

I couldn't afford to think like that.

We were all going to come back. No one was going to get hurt or killed in the siege. We were the ones besieging the castle, not the ones inside. There would be no open battle, no hand to hand fighting. Hopefully, just waiting until Nerissa surrendered.

But I still couldn't sleep.

Not only was I risking my own life, but two of my brothers were risking theirs too. And two of my sisters.

The thought of it brought to mind that day when the Faerie had appeared in Rault with my siblings in tow. Never before had I ever thought I could lose one of them. Other than the day James had passed, I had never been so terrified in my entire life. And now, we were all willingly walking into danger.

What if one of us didn't come back. Or all of us. How could I live with myself knowing I helped bring it about. It had been me that had gone to Rose and had gotten her to agree to the siege in the first place. I had caused this to happen.

If anything went wrong, I was to blame. It was all on me.

Sleep evaded me for hours. I couldn't seem to put the thought of it out of my mind. It was only when I saw pale light begin to stream through the curtains did I eventually succumb to sleep. But it was only a few hours later that I was awoken by Gwen knocking at my bedroom door.

I felt drained. Empty.

But there was no going back from this point.

The only way to go was forwards. I had started this, I had to see it through. No matter the outcome.

I rolled out of bed and began to prepare myself for the day when my eye caught the glinting object on my dressing table.

James's emerald.

Philip had mentioned that James would have been here, fighting alongside me if he hadn't passed. He would have been here, sword in hand, and that smug smile twisting the corner of his mouth, ready to put an end to Nerissa's reign of terror. He would have been the one pushing me every step of the way.

He would have been here by my side.

So I knew I had to do it.

For him.

I had to fight for both of us. I had to be someone he would have been proud to call his wife. I owed him that much.

I had to prove that I was worthy of him. There would be no more of me receiving something just for the good fortune to marry someone rich. I had to earn that right, as did everyone else. And I would prove triumphant.

I quickly pulled together a group of dresses that I could wear at the camp, and some under-things. They were all packed into the trunk with Scarlett's things. The boy's things were put together, along with Bianca's things. She generally wore male clothing, saying it was easier to move around in, so she packed her things with the boys.

By the time the final trunk was loaded onto the cart, I hardly knew what to think. Should I be scared as to what was to come? Or anxious, or excited? Or all three at once.

Never before had I been placed in such a position.

It all happened too fast. Once our things were packed up, we all said an emotional goodbye to the younger ones. And while they all thought we were going off on a grand adventure, all I could think was that this might be the last time I ever see them. Or the last time any of us see them.

I fought back my tears. There was no point in upsetting them. They were only children. And Bianca needed us to be strong and support her. If she knew what I was feeling, she would have told me to stay, and I wouldn't allow that.

And then, just like that, we were on the cart. The younger one all ran behind us as we drove away, with Bianca proudly at the reins.

I felt so overwhelmed to finally see her able to drive down a very public path without fear. She was no longer a wanted woman. There was no one who could arrest her now, not with her royal pardon.

Gwen, Robbie and Tom all shouted various things as they ran behind us, but it was Clara who shouted 'Stay safe and come back.'

Richard was quiet as usual, but his expression told us that he was thinking the same thing as Clara.

I knew he had been slightly disappointed when we had not asked him to join us. He was sixteen years old now, soon to be seventeen in a matter of weeks. And while that was old enough for the army, I didn't want him with us. Having Scarlett, Alexander and Daniel with us was enough stress, I didn't want to have to be worrying about Richard as well.

Richard actually might have been the largest help to our group. Much more than me. He was fiercely intelligent, and during the short time we had lived at Thorne Manor, he had taken to reading James's military history books. He found military tactics and campaigns utterly fascinating. At least he would have known what to do if the siege got out of hand. I had no clue as to what I would do at the camp, what role I could take. I was certainly no strategist. And I wasn't a fighter either. I could barely hold a knife properly in my hand. And I somehow doubted that my skills as a housemaid and seamstress would come particularly in handy on a battlefield.

But, if I was being honest, I wasn't so sure that Richard truly wanted to go. The army is consisted of strangers that Richard would probably have to interact with. Richard was uncomfortable talking to new people under normal circumstances, never mind a place where he would be massively outnumbered.

So he remained with Clara and the others, and they eventually disappeared out of sight as we entered the forest.

It was a long journey. I knew it was about two days walk to get to the Duchess's palace. Alexander knew the route well, as did Bianca and Scarlett. But Daniel and I had never been before. And we were going there to try and destroy it. With five of us and two trunks worth of clothes to carry, and only one horse; our pace wasn't much faster. In fact, the cart hardly moved with all of us on, so we took it in turns to walk beside it. I was no stranger to walking long distances. The journey to Milton was hardly a short trip. In fact, Milton happened to be part of Bianca's land. It felt almost like fate that the place I had lived in for nearly two years was now part of Bianca's domain.

We walked all day. As we had all alternated turns to walk beside the cart, we were all utterly exhausted by the time the sun began to go down. Bianca looked a little disappointed that we had not gotten closer to the palace. Philip was waiting for us on that day and we hadn't made it. But that was the situation, so we just had to make the best of us. Alexander knew a nearby cave that we could all sleep in for the night.

We found a river that we could water Penny in, and then a tree we could tie her too for the night. I tended to her. By the time I returned, Bianca had already gotten a fire going, and Alexander and Scarlett were out searching for more fire wood. The way Daniel said those words implied that they were doing anything other than collecting firewood. I only shrugged at his suggestion. They were newlyweds in love, they were perfectly entitled to sneak away from the group for some time alone. And as long as they didn't do anything…too bad in front of us, we didn't mind much.

The evening set in, and we all ate the bread and cheese we had packed from the bag. Bianca had suggested trapping some game, like a squirrel to eat, but Alexander immediately stopped her. He was still a little touchy on eating game, having spent several months as a squirrel, he didn't like the idea of eating them. He even shuddered at the thought.

We spoke a little about what we were going to do when we got to the camp. We all had different ideas of what it was going to be like. Bianca, Scarlett and Alexander were the only ones who had actually seen the palace in person. Daniel and I had only the others description to base our imaginings on.

While the others all seemed to talk a lot, I hung back a little and stayed mainly quiet. It wasn't that I didn't want to join in, but there was still that dark part of me that was still terrified of what was going to happen. They all seemed rather excited at the prospect of reclaiming Bianca's home, and championing justice. I just couldn't see past the possibility that someone might get hurt or worse. How could I live with myself if had to stand by one more coffin? I just couldn't bring myself to be excited by the situation that we were going into.

The hours past in familiar company, and before I knew it, we were all placing down blankets to make the cold hard floor slightly more bearable. The September night was cold, so Bianca lay next to me, warming me with her presence. Alexander and Scarlett were of course together, and Daniel claimed that the cold didn't seem to bother him much. Although I did notice him pull out an extra blanket.

The fire began to die down as we all lay down and pulled our blankets around us tightly.

'Marion?' I heard Bianca whisper.

'Yes?' I replied in an equally quiet tone.

'Are you scared?' She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

I turned slowly to face her.

'Yes. Very much so.' I told her honestly.

Although the light was low, I could see the expression of anxiety on her face.

'You?' I asked.

She nodded slightly.

'Terrified.' She replied.

I was a little stunned by her answer. She had seemed confident and excited about the prospect of defeating Nerissa.

'I can't help but feel…that it's all on me. If anyone gets hurt, it will be because I dragged us all into this. Everyone is doing this to help me. I asked them to risk their lives for me. It's all on me.'

I remained silent for a moment, unsure of what exactly to say.

'It's not all on you.' I said finally. 'It's on everyone. And most of all, it's on Nerissa.'

'But-'

'No. It's on us. Each one of us is here because we need to be. We all made the decision to fight. And yes, we are here to support you, but we all know what the risks are. We are willingly putting ourselves in harm's way. So it's on all of us. And you are not to blame, Nerissa is. She made the decision to start this fight. You are the Duchess by right, and she took that away from you, so she brought this upon herself. So if anything happens to any of us, I will personally make sure she suffers for it, because no one harms my family and walks away any more. I've lost too much, and I want justice. That bitch will pay.'

Bianca visibly flinched as I spat out my last words.

'Language, from you!' She cried surprised.

I simply rolled my eyes at her.

'I no longer care. Life's too short. And your stepmother is a bitch. I am not going to waste time on polite manners when talking about her.' I told her frankly, shifting slightly to get more comfortable.

As I turned in my blanket, the corner of my eye managed to catch my brother on the far side of the cave, encasing Scarlett in his arms. She rested against his shoulder, eyes closed and perfectly content while he slowly stroked her vibrant red hair, lulling her to sleep. I couldn't help but smile a little at them.

It was so…domestic. Just completely natural to them. They were so at ease with each other, so perfectly happy in each other's company.

I turned away, knowing it was strange to stare at my brother and his wife. But I couldn't stop thinking about them.

My mind wandered back to what Rose had said that morning she had come to my room at the palace.

True love. That was what had broken the curse on her. Philip was her true love and their love had overcome all. They were meant for each other.

As was Scarlett and Alexander, I was sure of it. I had never been more certain of anything in my life. The way they had found each other, despite all odds. They just matched. Their personalities, their habits, their tempers.

And even further back, that note that Lady Annette had given me. The faerie had known. He had known that Alexander and Scarlett were meant to be together. He had drawn that line that connected their two names.

He had known.

Yes, my brother had found his true love.

And I was truly thrilled for him.

Bianca had turned over after mumbling a goodnight to me.

But I lay awake.

As I finally realised, I was happy for them.

For the first time, I was truly happy for them, without feeling a touch of jealously or longing.

I could simply accept that they were happy, regardless of what had happened to me. I didn't feel alone, or experience that familiar stab of jealousy that usually came with my thoughts about my brother.

I could just be happy for them.

Unconsciously, the corners of my mouth turned up. I beamed to myself.

Finally, after all this time, I had finally accepted that the rest of my life wasn't going to be like this past year. There was hope. I could have a future; I could find a way to be happy.

And it didn't feel like a betrayal of James either. It felt right.

Like it was time.

He had said he wanted me to be happy one day. But I hadn't believed him until now. I was allowed to feel good and happy and hopefully, without feeling guilty.

I no longer had to be jealous of what others had that I could no longer have. Because one day, I might have something like that again. There was hope for the future.

And while I knew it would never stop hurting when I thought of James, his memory had become one like my parents. A memory of a happy time that I treasured with all my heart. One day, I would be able to think of James with fondness, and not despair.

I looked to my side and saw Bianca.

She had been right. All this time, she had been right.

Damn her.

I wasn't going to let her know that. She'd brag about it for weeks. If not months.

But she was right. I had been strong enough to survive this. With time, I had been able to come to terms with my loss.

I wasn't all the way there yet. I still couldn't quite fathom finding someone else to replace James just yet.

Not right now.

But…maybe…

One day.

The glowing embers of the fire began to die away, and the darkness began to creep into the cave.

I pulled the blanket up around me against the cold wind of the night, and closed my eyes.

The smile still did not disappear from my face as I fell into the blissful rest of sleep.

* * *

'Arry…Arry!... ARRY!'

I jolted awake suddenly.

Bianca was stood over me, shaking my shoulders.

'Finally!' She said, releasing me and stepping back.

'Hmm?' I asked, my voice muffled by sleep and I had to cough to clear my throat.

'Honestly, you're up with the sun every other day. Why is it, the day we need to move, you sleep in?' Bianca asked in a teasing tone, already folding her blanket up.

I glared at her through sleep muddled eyes, before willing myself to sit up.

'Well, maybe if we hadn't walked miles and miles yesterday, I wouldn't be so tired.' I told her.

Bianca raised her eyebrow at me, then smiled a little.

'Fair enough. But we need to move. We have a prince to meet.'

I groaned, and then pushed myself up so I was standing, shivering against the sudden cold I felt as I left the warm blanket.

Looking over, I saw Alexander slowly try and shake Scarlett awake, but she seemed happily asleep.

'Just push her. She'll move.' Bianca told him. Alexander jaw almost dropped as he shook his head.

'I'll wake her up. But just let her sleep a little longer.' He argued.

'Oh move out of the way!' Bianca sighed. 'She might be your wife, but she's my sister first.'

Bianca almost shoved Alexander out of the way, making him stumble back a little.

'Scar! Wake up!' Bianca shouted at her.

Scarlett's hand shot up and collided with the side of Bianca's face, unleashing an almighty bang.

'Argh!' Bianca screamed, as Scarlett's eyes flew open.

'Oh! Bea!' She cried, scrambling to her feet.

Alexander snorted with laughter.

'That's why you don't wake Scarlett up.' He muttered under his breath.

Bianca had thrown her hand up and covered the side of her face, while Scarlett had jumped up and tried to approach her sister to apologise.

'Oh Bea! I'm so sorry! I didn't know…I just…I didn't mean to!' She cried.

Bianca stepped back out of her sister's reach.

Daniel simply sat in the corner and laughed at the entire situation. Even Alexander grinned a little.

'Why… on…earth…would you do that?' Bianca asked in a low voice.

'I don't mean to...I just react; I can't control it! I've always done it, you know that!' Scarlett shouted.

'You did it when you were little! I thought you'd grown up!' Bianca shouted back.

'How do you grow out of something you have no control over! It's not like I mean to do it!'

'You slapped me!'

'You tried to wake me up!'

'We need to go! How else were you going to move?'

'Not by shouting at me!' Scarlett cried.

'Urgh!' Bianca groaned and turned away from her sister and started shoving her blanket into the bag with a tremendous amount of force.

We all hung back. No one wanted to get in Bianca's way when her temper was high. We had all learned that the hard way.

So, we all quickly found something to do that stayed well out of Bianca's way. She muttered something to herself that I could just about hear, but would never repeat. She didn't really feel that way about her sister, she just said things when she was angry.

I knew that Bianca was anxious enough as it was. She was worried about all of us, and about the upcoming conflict. So many things could go wrong, and despite what I told her last night, I knew she thought she carried the blame all by herself. It wouldn't take much to push her over the edge. So we all had to be careful; we were all here to support her, not to make it more difficult.

We'd all lived with her long enough to know that she just need time to calm down, and then all of this would be forgotten.

So, we quickly and quietly packed our bags and loaded them back onto the cart. Penny was saddled up and then we were off again, walking ever closer and closer to the Duchess's palace.

The time passed quickly even though not much was said. In the cold light of the morning, I think it had finally hit us all what exactly we were walking into. It all seemed more real now we were almost there.

We were going to meet an army. Men who were going to risk their lives so that Bianca could be the rightful Duchess. The seriousness of it stunned us all into silence.

People could get hurt over this. Nerissa might retaliate. She had already killed three innocent men, what would she do to someone who was actually trying to harm her? I highly doubted that she would just let this siege happen. She was not going to take this lying down.

So, the hours passed, all of us consumed a little too deeply in our own thoughts. We just walked and walked.

One step after another, ever closer to war.

The trees all looked the same to me. Every mile was just a repeat of the previous one. But Alexander, Scarlett and Bianca clearly knew it well. Their expressions kept changing as they recognised each new thing.

We heard them before we saw them. The sound of men talking and shouting drifted through the trees. Horses whinnied and metal clinked.

I caught Bianca taking a rather large deep breath as she squared her shoulders. I could only imagine what was going through her head. Especially after so long of hiding from soldiers and guards, she was now expected to lead them.

My own blood seemed to cool at the sound. We were really here. It was really happening.

Bianca's army.

Our army.

I was as much a part of this as Bianca was. I had made this happen. Whatever was to come, that was on me.

Campfires were clearly burning as smoke burned our throats and stung our eyes. It only got stronger as we walked ever closer.

Just before we made the final turn on the path, Bianca pulled Penny to a halt and climbed down.

'Can someone else drive her? I want to walk the last bit.'

Daniel instantly nodded, and didn't make a sly remark as he usually did. Even he recognised the seriousness of the situation.

Bianca took another large breath, but I saw her hand shake. She was not calm; she was very far from calm.

Grasping her hand in my own, I squeezed it.

'You can do this. You are meant to do this. Let's go and make that bitch pay.' I told her.

Bianca nodded at my statement but didn't look at me. Her hazel eyes were wide and fixed on a tree in front of her.

'I believe in you, we all do.' I told her, though she still didn't turn.

I glanced back to Scarlett, hoping desperately she could help me to get her sister to move.

Scarlett stepped away from Alexander and took her sister's other hand in her own.

'Father would be so proud of you today.' Scarlett told her.

At that, she did turn.

Staring at her sister, Bianca took a shuddering breath.

'He better be; this was all his mistake.' Bianca said, in a feeble attempt at humour.

Scarlett grinned a bit.

'He was taken in by a pretty face and lies. It wasn't his fault. Men are just very simple creatures sometimes.' Scarlett replied.

'Ah-hem' My brother coughed from behind us.

Scarlett whipped her head around to raise her eyebrow at him.

'What? You are!' She teased.

Alexander pretended only to look mildly annoyed, so Scarlett turned back to her sister.

'This is our palace. And you've been away too long. It's time to go home.' She said.

I nodded in agreement.

'Yes, yes it is.' Bianca said quietly, squeezing both our hands, and taking that brave first step forward. She didn't release us, so we followed her, side by side as we emerged around the bend and into the bright sunlight of the edge of the forest.

I hardly knew what to think when I saw the army. It was quiet unlike anything I had ever seen.

Rows upon rows of tents had been set up in neat lines, spanning most of the field in front of us. Some were larger than other, but all made of the same rough white cloth. The largest, on at the far side, had a banner waving in the wind on top.

A rose and a sun.

The royal banner.

And the people….

There seemed to be men everywhere. All sorts of men. There were men in common lowborn attire, generally huddled around the campfires trying to keep warm against the cold autumn breeze. The knights and lords you could spot from a mile away. Some wore chainmail, others fine highborn jackets and shirts.

They all seemed so busy, purposefully marching from one tent to another, or polishing weapons. Some were tending to horses and others seemed to be setting up the final tents.

Everywhere I looked, I saw movement and life. The noise was overwhelming, as was the smell. I guessed they hadn't had time to dig proper toilet pits for the hundreds of men that were here.

It was all just so full of life. Men or horses moving, the messengers, the sergeants. Everyone seemed to always have something to do.

I stopped and stared at the sight before me for a good long while.

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, but this was it.

Philip had managed to get these men together in such a short space of time, it was almost miraculous!

And they were all here because of me. Because I had the courage to go to Rose and plead Bianca's case. This was all because of what I had done.

I knew it was probably not wise to be proud of starting a war, but I couldn't help but feel a little pride at what I had accomplished.

This was all because I was brave enough to help her.

This was her victory, I knew that. But some horridly selfish part of me wanted just a part of the glory for putting this together.

'And who the hell do you think you are?' Asked a rather tall, scary looking guard, with yellow teeth and an expression to make your stomach curdle.

All of us froze. No one had prepared for being turned away at the start of it all.

I glanced to the others, no one knew what to say. Bianca was still frozen in fear, and Scarlett too.

'I believe you are expecting us.' I said, in a voice I didn't recognise as my own.

The guard visibly shook with laughter as he looked us up and down. His hand rose to cover his mouth as he chuckled.

'Expecting you? What would we do with some pretty lowborn girls, two boy would-be soldiers, and…and I don't even know what you are.' He said, staring directly at Bianca. 'I suppose we could always do with some more female company, you'll make a fair amount of coin here.'

I was quite taken aback by his rudeness, and his insinuation.

But to my surprise, it was Alexander who stepped forward first, to yell 'How dare you! That is my wife and sisters!'

Unfortunately, that only served to make him laugh more.

'Oh, is that what you tell people! That's a good one!' He chuckled.

Alexander's face turned a rather alarming shade of red, and his fist curled at his side. He moved forward, but Scarlett held out her arm and stopped him.

I knew it was going to end badly if Alexander had a chance to speak.

So, I released Bianca's hand, and took a step towards the towering guard.

'May I introduce you to Duchess Bianca Knox,' I said, gesturing to Bianca.

The Guard immediately stopped laughing. It was rather satisfying to witness.

'This is her sister, Scarlett Brown, formerly Lady Scarlett Knox, and her husband Alexander Brown.' I informed him, pointing to each of them in turn.

All trace of humour had now vanished from the guard's face.

'That is our brother Daniel Brown,'

Daniel gave the guard a cheeky wave from on top of the cart.

The guard stumbled backward a little as his gaze turned to me.

'And you are?' He asked, his voice wavering.

'I am Lady Marion Thorne, formerly Brown, friend of Princess Rose, and wife of the late Sir James Thorne who was a very close friend of Prince Philip. So once again, I say; I believe you were expecting us.'

The guard didn't reply.

He actually seemed stunned into silence.

We all waited with baited breath, until finally, he stepped back and gestured for us to pass by.

He even went as far as to bow a little to Bianca as we proudly strode past him. I fought down the urge to beam with what little restraint I had.

Daniel showed nothing of the sort.

He actually waved mockingly as he drove Penny past the guard, a smug grin plastered to his face. I wanted to slap it off him and tell him to behave, but there was no way I could get to him. So, I simply squared my shoulders and walked like the lady I was towards the camp.

Bianca was still shaking, and she had yet to say anything since the camp came into sight. I knew she was still overwhelmed.

This was all for her. After over five years of hiding and having nothing, this was all hers.

We all walked silently towards the very large main tent heralding the royal banner. It seemed a good a place as any to start.

Men stared at us.

From everywhere.

They all seemed to turn their heads as we marched past them. It was to be expected, we weren't exactly the usual group of people that would walk through an army camp.

We were two girls dressed in lowborn clothes, two boys who did look like they were young and stupid and wanted to join the army (one of which was driving a horse and cart with a rather large smug grin on his face,) and a young woman wearing male clothing who had only just been pardoned two days ago. We were a rather strange bunch.

But we didn't let that stop us. We kept going, trying our best to ignore the looks and the whispers that were quickly circulating the camp. One man also thought we were there to 'sell our wares,' and tried to call of over. I ignored it the best I could and Scarlett had to once again control Alexander from running off and finding that man so he could punch him in the face.

The Royal tent drew ever closer, and I had to keep reminding myself that there was nothing to be nervous about. It was only going to be Philip there. I knew Philip, and he would tell us what to do from here on in. I had already done the hard part of convincing him. There was nothing to worry about.

However, Bianca had still not met Philip. She had only our word to go on. This man was either going to be her saviour or her downfall. They were going to get Nerissa, or they were going to fail, and Bianca would have to go back into hiding again. That was even if she managed to escape.

There were another two guards stationed outside the tent, one on either side of the doorway. They held patterned shields in one hand and long spears in the other.

Both of them looked us up and down as we approached. No doubt they thought the same thing the first guard had thought.

We just had to hope that they believe us as easily as he did.

I was just about to introduce ourselves, my mouth open when the tent flap moved aside and a familiar man strode out.

He was wearing chainmail, with a tabard over the top. His sword hung at his side and the royal crest was printed in vivid colours on his chest.

He started a little when his gaze lifted from the floor and he spotted us.

I felt myself breathe a silent sigh of relief. I wasn't going to have to explain myself to any more guards.

For before us stood Philip, ready for battle.

'Marion!' He cried, striding towards us. The guards instantly moved aside as he walked past them. They were clearly better trained than the guard at the front of the camp as their expressions didn't change.

I gave Philip a quick curtsey out of respect for the royal prince that stood before me, and then opened my arms and embraced him. In truth, I didn't know him that well, but he was James's friend, and therefore mine.

'So, you finally made it. We waited for you yesterday, and started to get worried that something had gone wrong.' He said, pulling back.

'No, the journey took a little longer than anticipated, we should have set off earlier.' I told him.

He nodded, but then his gaze fell over my shoulder to the person I knew was standing behind me.

Philip stepped back and smiled politely.

'I am presuming that you must be Bianca Knox?' He said, staring at my friend.

'Yes.' Bianca uttered.

'Pleasure to finally meet you.' Philip said, bowing slightly to her. 'Welcome to your army.'

Bianca only nodded. I knew she was still a little stunned by all of this.

'Lady Scarlett, its lovely to see you again.' Philip said, moving on to my sister in law. I heard Scarlett introduce Philip to Alexander and Daniel as I moved closer to Bianca.

'Are you alright?' I asked in a hushed tone.

Bianca nodded again. 'I'll be fine. It's just…overwhelming.' She admitted.

Her eyes were darting around everywhere, as if she was trying to commit every detail to memory.

'It shouldn't be. You deserve this, after what she put you through. This is all to make Nerissa pay.' I told her.

'It might be, but I'm not sure about him.' Bianca said, gesturing subtlely to Philip.

'Why?' I asked, shocked.

'He seems too nice. And polite. Not what I expected of an army leader for a revenge mission. He'll probably invite Nerissa for tea and cakes after this is all done.'

I fought the urge to giggle. Philip was very polite, and in truth he did stand out quite a bit from his men in his friendly and approachable manner.

'He's a prince, he has to be polite. Would you prefer a brute?' I asked.

'No. Far too much work to control. He'll do nicely.' Bianca teased.

I knew she was feeling more and more at ease. Only a few moments ago she could barely talk, and now she was joking.

Just then, the tent flap opened again, and another man came striding out of the tent.

'Philip, where on eart-Oh, Marion! You're here!'

I beamed.

'Hello Antony.' I said, greeting the familiar face of James's good friend.

He walked toward me and gave me a kiss on both cheeks.

'It's been such a long time! How are you?'

'I've been…alright.' I admitted.

Antony lifted his eyebrow.

'Only alright? You've started a crusade against injustice. I'd call that a bit better than alright!' He teased.

'It wasn't just me.' I said, lifting my arm to introduce Bianca.

Antony's gaze drifted towards her, his eyes going wide the moment he beheld her.

'Antony, this is-'

'Duchess Bianca Knox, if I'm not much mistaken?' Antony cut me off.

Bianca looked like she was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from reacting in some way.

'And you are?' She asked.

'Sir Antony Vaughn. Friend of Philip, dragged along to try and be useful.' Antony joked. 'And how exactly do you two know each other?'

'We met by chance, on the road a few years ago. But now, we're sisters in law.' I explained.

'Sisters in law? Who married who?'

'My sister Scarlett married Marion's brother Alexander.' Bianca informed him, inclining her head so he looked in their direction.

'Ah, so your sister was the one who got married.' Antony repeated, in a way that was definitely directed at Bianca.

I knew exactly what he was implying.

Bianca was not married. And I think I knew what was going through Antony's mind.

I had to bite my lip to stop myself from saying anything. Antony had been more similar to James than Philip of Christopher. I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because they both had the same station in life. But from what I learned from James, Antony certainly knew how to talk to women.

And I believed in that moment, he had set his efforts on Bianca.

I thought it was hilarious.

Bianca wouldn't bat an eyelid at him. I knew her well enough for that. This would just be rather amusing to watch play out.

'Anyway, we have matters to attend to.' Said Philip, walking back over to us, with Daniel, Scarlett and Alexander following him. A guard was driving Penny away to our tents.

'Would you care to go inside?' He asked Bianca, stepping aside to let her in first.

Bianca took a deep breath, and then marched forward through the tent flap. Philip held it open and gestured for the rest of us to follow. Scarlett went next, then Daniel, Alexander and Antony.

And I went last.

I didn't think before walking through the threshold and accidentally ended up walking straight into Daniels back.

He had stopped only feet into the tent, and I hadn't seen him.

Daniel faltered when I walked into him, and then immediately turned around, his face a little shocked.

'What?' I asked him, trying to see over his shoulder. He had grown too tall, and was now several inches taller than me.

Daniel hesitated a moment, before stepping to the side, letting me see who stood on the other side of the tent.

One other familiar man stood there.

He too wore chainmail and a sword at his side.

His dark hair was cut shorter than I had seen it last time, but his blue eyes were still bright.

Eyes I had not seen in over a year.

'Hello Marion.' Duke Christopher Howards said to me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

I froze.

Christopher?

Christopher was here?

I hadn't seen him in over a year. Not since the funeral.

Our last conversation hadn't exactly been civil. Or at least, as civil as a conversation could be when someone was in the depths of despair.

But in truth, my issue wasn't with Christopher.

He had too suffered a great loss. Arguably more than I had.

No, my issue lay with his wife.

The new Duchess.

Ella Howards.

Once my greatest friend in the world. But no more. Not since that day before the funeral.

My anger had since calmed. Her name no longer brought burning rage to my mind.

But part of me still couldn't find the heart to forgive her.

She had hosted the ball that night. She had chosen to go through with it, knowing that her father in law and son were sick. And that had ultimately led to James losing his life.

In my anger and grief, I had screamed and accused her of killing him. A possibly unfair thing to do, however I stood by it. If she had simply thought about what she was doing for a moment, maybe she would have realised that she was wrong.

And she had changed. She had become a simpering highborn, throwing parties and neglecting lowborns. She no longer went to the aid of starving families as she once did, preferring to stay hidden away in her palace. The people of Rault had not heard from her since the day I told her to get out of our cottage. But maybe that was something to do with me.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I noticed everyone else had frozen to stare at me.

My family looked concerned. They were well aware of the situation, and no doubt knew what was going through my head.

Philip and Antony too seemed to be watching. I wasn't sure what they knew, but no doubt they knew something.

'Marion?' Christopher asked me. I suddenly realised that I hadn't responded since the moment I set eyes on him.

'Christopher.' I said finally, without a plan to say anything else.

'It's good to see you.' He offered in an unsure tone.

I couldn't find the words to respond.

I didn't know what to think.

Christopher, James's closest friend, but also the husband of Ella.

'What are you doing here?' Alexander asked, standing a little defensively by my side.

Christopher glanced to Philip.

'I was asked to help…if that's alright, of course.' He replied.

'It's my fault.' Philip told us, 'I wrote to Christopher. I thought he'd want to help.'

'And I do.' Christopher added.

'And as a Duke, he's brought men and resources.' Antony offered.

'That doesn't change what he did.' Bianca said.

Christopher glanced to her, a little shocked by her accusation. He had never seen her before, but she had seen him. She had been in the next room when they had visited the cottage the day before the funeral. She had heard everything.

'I never… I didn't…I didn't do anything to harm him. I would never have.' Christopher admitted.

'You… might not have.' Bianca retorted.

Christopher looked a little lost, and looked desperately to his friends.

'Ah, introduction. Christopher, this is Bianca Knox, the new Duchess.' Philip said, trying to break the rising tension.

Christopher inclined his head in a small bow at Bianca.

'I'm not sure what you've heard, but-'

'Oh, I heard everything. And I saw the mess you left Marion in.' Bianca replied.

'You were there that day?' He asked.

Bianca nodded solemnly.

Christopher's eyes went wide. He clearly wasn't expecting this meeting to go as bad as it was going.

'Look, I'm here to help. I'm on your side, and I want to bring down Duch- I mean, Nerissa as much as you want to.'

He turned to me.

'Marion, would you mind stepping outside with me for a moment?'

A spike of anxiousness shot through me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to him, especially if what he wanted to say was what I was thinking.

'You don't have to go.' Bianca whispered to me, without taking her eyes off Christopher. 'You can just ignore him, and the forget about this when it's all over.'

I found myself shaking my head without realising it.

'No, it's alright. He…he didn't actually do anything wrong. And I owe it to James…to hear him out.' I whispered back.

I wasn't sure if he heard me or not, but I inclined my head to the flap in the tent, and then walked out. The sound behind me indicated that he had caught my meaning and followed me.

I walked passed the two still stationary guards, who were a little unnerving honestly. It was only when I got around the back of the tent did I realise that the camp extended further in this direction as well, and so there were more men, and no privacy.

'Marion?' Christopher said from behind me, and I turned slowly to look at him.

He was gesturing to a nearby large tent, almost indistinguishable from the other apart from its size. It didn't take me long to work out that was his tent.

I was hesitant.

'She's not in there, is she?' I asked.

After begin surprised by Christopher, I had no idea what to expect. Maybe she was here as well, just as I was. And I had no desire to talk with her at this moment.

He shook his head.

'No, she's at the palace, with Jonathan and Ellie. You know her, she would never feel happy at a war camp, and certainly not away from the little ones.'

There was something about the way her spoke about her that made my anger flare a little. The way he talked of their happy life, when she had been the cause of my misery didn't agree with me much. Her perfect life, with her perfect alive husband and two perfect children.

Everything she had deprived me of.

Christopher was still waiting, so I followed him into the empty tent.

My eyes took a moment to adjust to the lower level of lighting once the tent flap closed. There were candles in here, but none of them were lit. It was mid-morning after all. It wasn't so dark so that I would walk into thing; the light was just subdued.

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when it came to Christopher's tent. I had only ever seen him live in the palace. This however, was very different. No ornate furnishing, no unnecessary decoration. Just a cot, a trunk of clothes, a table and some chairs. A plain commander, nothing more.

Christopher ran his hand over his face.

'So, how have you been?' He asked.

'I've been better.' I said, taking a seat in one of the nearby chairs. I had been walking since day break, and all of the day before, my feet needed a rest.

Christopher copied me, taking a seat in the chair next to me, not the one of the far side of the table where I suspected he would sit.

'I don't even know where to start. Or what to say.' He admitted.

'How have you been?' I asked him in response.

He sighed.

'Busy. I've tried to keep myself as busy as I can. It's easier that way.' He told me.

I wasn't surprised.

If I'd had the energy, I would have kept myself as busy as I could. Doing nothing let far too much time to think, and that didn't seem to help me in any way.

'Luckily, being a Duke means there's always something to occupy yourself with.' He tried to joke, but I understood the seriousness of the phrase.

He had lost his father as well. Not only had James, his oldest and dearest friend, died that day, so had his father. It was hard enough for me to just lose James; I couldn't imagine having to deal with the loss of a parent as well. Newly orphaned, with all the responsibilities of becoming a Duke, and the tragic loss of a friend, no wonder he had tried to distract himself from his grief as much as possible.

And on top of all of that, he had to deal with Ella.

I had hated her for causing James's death. And there had been a moment that day when I thought that maybe Christopher had agreed with me, that she should have called off the ball.

But, on the other hand, she was his wife. And the mother of his children. And, as I greatly suspected, the love of his life. People forgave a great many things when they were in love.

'It's been a tough year for everyone, I think.' I told him.

He only nodded.

'How is baby Jonathan?' I asked, trying to lift the tone a little. 'How old is he now, two?'

'Two and a half.' Christopher said, his lips perking up at the mention of his son. 'And already a lovely big brother to Ellie. We find him leaning over her crib sometimes, just talking at her. And he's not baby Jonathan any more, he reminds us constantly how grown up he is.'

I couldn't help but smile. Jonathan had been such a happy baby; it was no wonder.

He sighed.

'He's growing up too fast. He wants to learn how to ride a horse already, he sees them out in the stables. He'll need a tutor before too long. At least Ellie is still small enough to carry around.'

I couldn't help but ask about Ellie.

'Ellie? Oh, she's an angel. She has Ella's golden hair, but my blue eyes. She's only eight months old, but she's just learning how to crawl. You can hear her laughter echoing down corridors when she tries to run away from her mother. Jonathan hasn't quite grasped the concept of letting her win, so runs on ahead. There have been a fair few tears shed on that account.'

He glanced to me.

'Did you ever get the letter we sent? You didn't reply.'

I nodded solemnly.

'I read your note. But not Ella's. I just couldn't.'

Christopher sighed.

'She wanted you to be her godmother, you know. Ella said that there was only one person she would ever trust with Ellie, outside of our family.'

I shook my head. No, I was not going to let myself be dragged into forgiving her.

'Well, we can't always get what we want, can we.' I said, a little harshly.

Christopher leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, as if bracing himself for something.

'Look, Marion…I don't know what I can say.' He said.

'Then don't say anything. You're here to help Bianca, and when it's all over, we can part ways and never see each other again.' I told him.

'But that's not what I want.' He said.

'I hate to repeat myself, but you can't always get what you want.' I replied.

'Marion, please. Just hear me out. I know this is hard. I struggled too, James was the greatest friend I ever had, and there isn't a day goes by where I don't miss him.'

Tears unwillingly sprung to my eyes.

'And what…you think I don't?' I cried.

'No, no of course not! I saw how much you both cared for each other. If I ever lost Ella….I would be broken Marion. I would never recover from that. The fact that you are here and fighting just shows how strong you are. Stronger than me, I'd say. I would never have gone to the royal court and started all of this if I had lost her.'

He sighed again.

'She is the love of my life Marion. And I will love her regardless of what she does. But I genuinely believe that she honestly didn't know that what she did would lead to James's death. No one could have known that he was going to catch the fever from that ball.'

'But she could have still called off the ball. She knew that Jonathan and the Duke were sick.'

'I know, and I agree with you. But she never meant anyone any harm. She would never harm anyone. You've known her longer than I have, surely you must know that about her.'

'That doesn't excuse what she did.' I argued.

'No, it doesn't. But I really do believe it was just an innocent mistake. She has suffered for it, trust me. There have been so many sleepless nights, and I've found her distraught on more than one occasion. She doesn't forgive herself, Marion, because she knows that you haven't forgiven her.'

'Why does she need my forgiveness? Why can't she just pretend everything is fine and wait for someone else to sort it out, like she always does?' I retorted. 'Even now, you are interceding on her behalf, not herself.'

Christopher's shoulder's fell forward a little.

'I'm interceding, because she is hurting Marion. She is tormented by this, and the only way I can see to stop it, is to reconcile the two of you.'

I opened my mouth to respond, but Christopher quickly continued.

'I love her, and she's in pain. I would do anything to make it stop, as I'm sure you would. The suffering of a loved one is something that you cannot stand by and watch. It is worse than your own suffering, tenfold.'

More unshed tears stung the corner of my eyes.

'Don't tell me about watching someone you love suffer!' I cried.

'Then you know what it's like for me.' Christopher replied in a raised voice. 'Surely you cannot wish it on anyone else.'

I froze.

It was all too painful.

At the mention of his suffering, I was back in that room.

Daylight filtered through the curtains as his chest rose and fell in such small breaths, I thought he had already gone. I could do nothing else but wait for his time to run out. That was the worst part, knowing that any moment, he wasn't going to be there. That as any moment, he was going to leave and never return, and I was going to be left alone.

My anger evaporated in a moment.

That feeling of utter uselessness and fear was the worst thing I could ever imagine. Physical pain, I could deal with. But knowing that you could do nothing but watch was worse. Infinitely worse.

I had experienced it. And I hoped no one ever would again.

'No.' I said quietly. 'No, I wouldn't wish it on anyone else.'

He was right.

I knew, in my heart, that he was absolutely right.

Christopher took a deep breath.

'Marion, I think I know what's truly going on here. It's taken me long enough to figure it out, but…'

He leant forward and grasped my hand in his.

'Ella made a mistake. An innocent mistake, on that she regrets immensely. And she made that mistake, not out of malice or hate, but because she is human.'

I glanced up at him at that.

'I noticed a while ago that you seemed to idolise Ella. I do too. But ever since the day I met you, I noted that you have always called her angelic, and perfect. It's in your letters, your tone. Even when James talked about you, he said you called her an angel when you rescued her from the manor house.'

He sighed again.

'But, she isn't. She never has been. She is the most wonderful woman I have ever met, but she isn't perfect. It's taken me a long time to realise that. She makes mistakes, she trips over things, she raises her voice at times. As angelic as she is, she is not perfect. And I think you don't know that.'

I sat stunned for a moment, but then my temper began to rise a little.

'Of course I know that she is human! I didn't think she was an actual angel.'

'Yes, I know that. But I think that what really shattered your trust in her in the fact you thought she was perfect. She was image in your mind, not a real person. You forgave her too quickly when we came to the manor that day after your wedding. You claimed it was fine that she hadn't come to help you, and I know for a fact that if it had been anyone else, you wouldn't not have let that stand. You would have challenged them for not helping you, and rightfully so. But with Ella, you seemed to think that she was beyond that; that it truly wasn't her fault.'

I considered this for a moment, but Christopher continued.

'You hold her up to an impossible standard, one that no one can ever achieve. And I know how hard it is to see past that, I struggle too at times. There are moments when I'm overcome with how lucky I am that I have her for my wife, and my two beautiful children, and I also think that she's an angel, too good for me, and for this world. But she isn't. She makes mistakes, just like everyone else. In fact, did you know that she wriggles in her sleep all the time? I think the reason you can't forgive her, is that you don't think it possible that she can make mistakes. That everything she does is perfectly thought out and planned. But it isn't. She will never live up to the image you have of her in your mind, and I think it's time you looked past that. Please, she's suffered enough. I've suffered enough.'

I sat stunned.

He couldn't be right, could he?

I didn't idolise Ella. At the moment, I almost hated her.

How could I be guilty of idolising her?

She had caused his death...but she didn't know what she was doing.

 _He's right._

There was almost a voice in the back of my head shouting that down the cavern of my mind.

He couldn't be right…no…

I didn't know what to think.

'No.' I said out loud.

'I realise it might take some time to come around to the idea, but-'

'No!' I shouted, launching myself from the chair. 'I can't forgive her.'

She had killed him. Every moment of the last year had been her fault. All the times I had woken screaming had been her fault. All the tears shed, all the pain. It was all on her. Because she couldn't think about anyone but herself.

'Marion, please.' Christopher begged.

'No!' I shouted again, and then I was moving. Out of the tent, and down the path to the tent displaying the royal banner. Christopher at least had the good sense not to follow me. I almost ran into the tent, startling everyone who turned around to look at me.

Hot tears stung my eyes, and I finally felt myself lose my control as some of them slid slowly down my cheek.

It was her fault, and he was asking me to forgive her?

Before anyone could say anything, Alexander had made his way over to me, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

'Which way to Marion's tent?' He asked.

Philip gave him some instructions, but I didn't listen. My mind was too busy spinning.

Christopher had told me that it was my fault, that I had held her up to an impossible standard that no one could ever attain. How was 'not accidentally killing people' an impossible standard? I had never accidentally killed anyone, as far as I was aware.

No, this was still on her.

Alexander led me out of the tent, and down another path. My eyes had misted over, so I couldn't see where I was going, even if I had listened to the directions.

My fault? He had the nerve to say it was my fault? Because I thought too highly of her, had placed my trust in her?

And to say she had lost some night's sleep over it! I had hardly slept in the last year. It had taken months for the nightmares to disappear. Every time I had closed my eyes I watched him take his last breath and I relived the moment of clinging to his lifeless body, hopeless and distraught.

Was I supposed to be moved by a few sleepless nights? How hard for her.

My tears turned bitter, and I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming in frustration.

Why was it always up to me to be the bigger person? Why was it up to me to forgive her? Time and time again, I had been the good one. The one who forgave, the one who did what was right.

And I didn't want to do it any longer.

It was too hard, too much to ask one person. Why was it always down to me?

Somewhere along the path, we stopped, and turned. And before I knew it, we were walking through the flap of another tent. This one was smaller than Christopher's, but I didn't pay any attention to what was contained within its walls.

As soon as I heard the flap fall to the ground behind me, I lost all semblance of control. Pain shot through my legs as my knee's hit the hard earth.

'Arry?' Alexander cried, trying to catch me.

My breath came in pants as I sobbed.

He wanted me to forgive her. To look past the fact that she killed James with her ignorance.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

No.

The part that hurt the most was the realisation…that he was right.

That I had been wrong all this time.

I was upset most by my own stupidity.

And I knew now that I had been a coward all these months.

I had hated Ella, because it was easy.

It was easier to hate someone, than to accept the fact that James's suffering had been an accident.

There was no one to blame, and I had directed my anger and grief at Ella.

If anything, it had been my fault. I had caused all this suffering, for lashing out at her.

It was only then, that the truth of Christopher's words stuck home.

I did Idolise Ella.

I had done since I was a young girl. Even before the Manor house, she had always been the beautiful daughter of Sir Henry. She had seemed like a princess to the poor lowborn child I had been. What child did not look up to someone with wonder in their eyes?

It had just been my good fortune that I had been able to live with her for several years and gotten to know her better. But if anything, that had only made the fantasy grow.

All my life, I had thought myself below her. And not just in station and rank, but inferior as a person. She was always the angel I aspired to be, the perfect highborn lady who got the happily ever after.

But, Christopher was right.

Ella was only human. She did make mistakes and hurt people without meaning to. Just as I did.

And I had punished her for falling less than my perfect standard.

It was my fault.

I had done this.

I had hurt more people. Time and time again, I caused people untold suffering. I had let my family be cursed, I had made James take care of me, I had failed my parents. I had gone to the court and started this battle, where more men might get hurt. What would happen to their families? I would deprive them of a son, father…or husband. How many widows like me would be made because I had done this?

It was all on me.

'Arry. Shh…its alright.'

An arm encompassed me, holding me tight.

'I…Ella…I did this…' I cried, tears splashing onto my dress and my brother's sleeve.

'Arry, listen to me. It will all be alright. Trust me, it will all be alright. We will sort it out.' Alexander told me.

I shook my head.

How could it be sorted out? I couldn't call off the battle, any more than I could stop the sun in the sky. The course was set, all we had to do was follow it now. Whatever may lie at the end, that was our fate.

And we couldn't stop it if we tried.

Hours later, I lay in my new cot, staring at the cloth ceiling.

My despair had long since passed, but now I felt empty. Drained.

I knew I should have returned. Not only to the royal tent to help with…with…something, but also to Christopher's tent.

I owed him an apology for reacting so badly.

He had just been trying to tell me the truth, and I had screamed at him.

Bianca I guessed, was still in the royal tent making plans. I should have been there. There would be very little I could do to help with military tactics, or to help describe the palace to best find it's weak points. But I felt so helpless now. I had no role. There was no need for me anymore.

I had already done my part in getting the army here in the first place. Now, I just felt useless.

There were moments when I did consider just going home and waiting, but I knew that would be so much worse.

I couldn't spend days waiting for letters to come; to not know if anyone was coming back to me, to hope and pray for victory, knowing I could do nothing about it.

That would kill me. I would drive myself insane.

No, it was better that I was here, however horrible it may be.

I tried to find a reason to move. Even to just stretch my legs after lying down for so long.

But after everything that happened today, I wasn't sure I was up for it.

I would have to face them all again after so horribly embarrassing myself. No doubt Philip and Antony had connected the events of today, and I would have to go and explain myself.

I decided it was better to wait. They were no doubt in the middle of much more important matters than me. We were in an army camp, they had enough to worry about without a grieving widow with no control over her emotions.

So, I waited.

Hours had passed, I knew that much. Alexander had returned to the tent once I had stopped sobbing. He wanted to get back to Scarlett as soon as he could. I don't think he liked the idea of leaving his wife in the middle of an army camp, especially after the reaction of some of the men to us earlier.

I was all alone in the tent. There was an empty cot on the far side that was meant for Daniel. Alexander had told me that Bianca had been given her own tent, as the Duchess. Alexander and Scarlett had their own tent, naturally. And that left myself and Daniel to share the last tent. It wasn't the grandest thing I had ever seen, but it also wasn't the plainest.

It served its purpose, it was a place to sleep in and keep the rain out. And to keep me isolated from everyone else.

The flap at the mouth of the tent fluttered open every once in a while, rustling in the breeze, to so I didn't bother turning my head when I heard it again.

'Arry? Are you alright?'

It was Bianca's voice. I'd know it anywhere.

Slowly, I shifted myself in my cot around to face her. Her cheeks were stained pink, no doubt from the cold, and she looked exhausted.

'I'll be fine. It's just been a rough day.' I admitted.

It wasn't every day you had to come to terms with the fact that the thing you had believed with all your heart was wrong, and it was all your own fault. It had taken a lot out of me.

Bianca strode over to me and sat on the edge of my cot, her arm going to my shoulder.

'I shouted at Christopher, if that makes you feel any better.' She told me.

'What? Why? You should have been planning with Philip, not off worried about me.'

'Well, I'm sorry for being concerned when you run into a war tent sobbing.' She replied in her usual sarcastic tone.

I sighed, and slumped back down.

'He told me what happened.' She said, rubbing her thumb over my shoulder in comforting patterns.

'Don't tell me you spent all this time trying to talk him round.' I told her, 'Not when he's right.'

Bianca exhaled loudly.

'No, I know he's right.' She admitted truthfully.

I sat stunned for a moment. Never, did I think that Bianca would not take my side in something without some serious opposition.

'We all know he's right. You're just too stubborn to see it. No, I went to tell him off for upsetting you.'

'Wait, you all knew?' I cried.

'Yes, its blindingly obvious. We all just thought that you'd come round to it eventually by yourself. Ella was your closest friend for years, that sort of bond doesn't just disappear. You'd miss her too much eventually and realise that you could come to forgive her. And you'd eventually realise that Ella isn't the perfect person you always thought she was.' Bianca explained.

'Then why on earth didn't anyone say anything?' I shouted.

'Because we didn't want to upset you. Like you are now! Alexander and I thought it was best to let you come round to it in your own time. But now Christopher's gone and shoved it in your face, and done exactly what we wanted to avoid! That's why I shouted at him.'

My mind spun.

I knew I ought to be angry with her, for keeping this from me. But I knew that Bianca would never do anything to harm me. I trusted her to help me, as I always had. And after all these past months of being inconsolable, no wonder she wanted to stop anything else from hurting me. If it had been her, I would have done anything to stop her pain.

'He's distraught too, you know. I honestly thought that he assumed I was going to smack him or something. But once I calmed down enough to actually have a conversation with him, its plainly obvious that he's grieving too. He asked me about…him. About whether I had ever met him, as I clearly knew you at the time he and Ella came to the cottage. I told him what I thought of James, and what I thought about this past year. And Christopher agrees with me, that James would be so proud of you. For everything you've done.'

At the mention of his name, I felt my heart constrict.

I wanted to believe that. I truly did. But I wanted to hear that from his lips, in his voice.

A voice I knew I was never going to hear again.

 _You can't always get what you want_. I had shouted that at Christopher. Ironically, it applied to me now more than ever.

Blinking away a little mist that had collected in my eyes, I stared at Bianca.

'Anyway, today's not about me. What has been decided?' I told her, desperate to think of something else. I had already been through enough today.

She sighed.

'The siege begins tonight. We give them until sunrise to surrender, and for any innocents to leave the grounds. Nerissa's been busy, and has built new walls around the palace. But Scar knows them well, so she's still there now with Philip and Antony discussing guard rotations and potential weak spots. The siege actually won't be that exciting. It's just sitting and waiting for Nerissa to surrender. I don't want to destroy it, or I'll have nowhere to live once this is all over. No, if we're going to take the Palace, we need to do it by stealth and patience.'

'So, how long will it be?' I asked.

Bianca shrugged.

'I don't know. Impossible to say. Depends on how much Nerissa wants to suffer. I doubt she's going to give up easily. But Winter is only a matter of weeks away, so she can't hold out indefinitely. That's if the bitch actually eats, and doesn't just survive on the crushed hopes and dreams of her enemies.'

'What do we do in the mean time?'

'We wait. The soldier will continue training and drilling to keep them occupied until we form a plan to get past the walls. But that's all we can do, wait.'

I slumped back down into my cot again. I needed something to do. If I just sat and waited for something to happen day in day out, for potentially weeks, I would drive myself mad.

But, what could I do? I was no soldier, no commander. I couldn't even help like Scarlett was in supplying crucial information about the palace.

'You know, I hear that the camp cook is rather slow and needs a lot of help. And there's always some idiot soldiers who tear through their clothes before the battles even begun.' Bianca told me, almost reading my mind.

I perked up.

Even though it was servant work, I was glad to hear it. Any work was better than no work. Something to keep my mind preoccupied.

'If only there was an ex servant and seamstress who knew about such things…' Bianca teased.

'Yes, if only.' I replied.

I sat up properly, and swung my legs out of the side of the bed, but Bianca stayed put.

I knew something was off.

'What is it?' I asked her.

She shrugged.

'I guess…I always knew that I'd have to fight to get my home back. But now that it's here, it finally hitting me that I might have to destroy parts of it to get back. Destroy my father's legacy.'

'Not yet. Not until there is a plan.'

'I know. But all of this hadn't seemed real up until this morning. It always seemed like the far off dream I hoped that one day would come true. Now it's here, it's not quite what I expected.'

I leant forward and took her hand in mine.

'This isn't your dream. This is just the nightmare you have to go through to get to your dream. You don't want to destroy the palace; you don't want to fight Nerissa. You just want to claim your birth right and rule. That's your dream. So don't let this dissuade you. You're just one step closer to it now.'

Bianca nodded, and squeezed my hand.

'And so, it begins.' She said.

'Yes, it begins.' I told her.

There was no stopping it now.

It had begun.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine.**

 **Three weeks later.**

Nothing had happened.

In three whole weeks, nothing had changed.

There was no movement, no response, no retaliation.

Just silence.

We all knew that she was still in there, just waiting.

Waiting for something. And that was what unnerved us the most.

The camp had become normal around me now. Its movement and patterns familiar to me.

But, the Duchess's palace had not.

Having never laid eyes on it before, I was not quite sure of what exactly to expect. I just always assumed that it would be similar to Christopher's palace, as they shared the same rank.

However, we couldn't get close enough to see it properly, thanks to the rather large and annoying wall that stood between us and the Palace. The wall that was constantly manned by guards.

They occasionally fired arrows at us, but nothing too serious. They were trapped after all, so they needed to conserve their supply.

My days had fallen into a busy routine. And I actually found a tremendous amount of satisfaction with my work. I knew it was helping, in some very small way.

I split my time between the kitchens and the physicians tent. No one was actually injured, so there wasn't much to do. But he did constantly need help organising his supplies, cutting and rolling bandages, and making small potions for headaches and such things. It was mid-way through October, and everyone seemed to have developed some sort of cold or cough. We ran through our supply of ginger very quickly.

Mr Johnson was a very quiet, but pleasant man. He had a neat moustache and trimmed black beard, that was always immaculate, no matter that we were in a war camp. He worked methodically, and liked to have all his herbs and ingredients lined up in a specific order. Over the weeks, I slowly became accustomed to his way of doing things, and I really grew to admire him. The amount of knowledge he used constantly was astounding. How he remembered any of it, I didn't know.

But, when there was nothing else to do, he started to teach me a little.

I never thought my sewing skills as a seamstress would ever come in handy in a war camp, but it turns out they did.

When someone came in with a large cut or gash, Mr Johnson would give them stitches, to keep the skin together. It was not a pleasant task, but not a difficult one. Especially to someone who had been using a needle for a good long while. After the first few men cut themselves while training, Mr Johnson started to insist that I 'patch them up'. He claimed that it would be very useful if I could do that, as in the aftermath of a battle, he would be swamped with work, and have no time for such menial tasks, however crucial. Having me there to help would be very welcomed, to see to those who didn't require his immediate attention.

So, I spent my days practicing, when I was not busy rolling bandages.

Scarlett joined me for the easy tasks; making the beds and organising the linens. But she claimed she didn't have the stomach to look at wounds. Even speaking about it made her a little pale.

She much preferred being in the kitchens, chopping vegetables and stirring stew. However, she didn't always have a lot of time to do that, as she kept being summoned to the main tent to help with another detail about the Palace. They kept coming up with one plan after another, and each required a different piece of the palace to be known in detail.

We'd had several letters from home. They were all begging for news about the war camp. Richard was desperate to know what it was like. Life in Rault went on as it ever did. Gwen's birthday was in a week, and we had apologised that we probably wouldn't be back in time to celebrate. She was turning ten. I couldn't quite believe my baby sister was going to be so big! We had sent Clara some money so she could buy Gwen a cake from the local bakery and a few little trinkets.

Alexander and Daniel began training with some of the soldiers. They spent their days learning how to hold a sword correctly, and stand with the right posture. They also spent time with Philip and Antony, concocting plans and schemes. I didn't know exactly how much help my brothers were, but I think they liked being there and watching how the tactics were formed. I had no desire to see any of that side of the camp. I was quite happy just doing what I could to help, and not getting involved with making important decisions that I knew might weigh heavily on them in the future.

Daniel in particular was a natural at sword play. He seemed to get the knack for how to move himself so that the sword almost became an extension of his arm. Although he had only been learning for a few weeks, he could almost stand his own against some of the other boy soldiers in the training ring. They used wooden swords, of course. My brother just seemed to be naturally coordinated. It was the same with dancing, he just picked it up very quickly with very little effort. I knew Alexander was a little jealous, but he had other things on his mind, so it came to nothing.

However, the person who had changed the most was Bianca.

I hardly knew what to do anymore. I hardly knew how to act. She was ridiculously on edge all the time. Any tiny little thing made her lash out at someone.

I knew it wasn't fair to blame her, especially after the way I had behaved in the past year. But it was started to weigh on us all a little.

I knew having to face besieging your home and waiting for the person who murdered your father and your people to surrender was nerve wracking, but no matter what we tried, Bianca didn't ever seem to calm down. She was irritable and short with people, and had shouted at me and Scarlett on several occasions. We didn't take it to heart; it was better she shouted at us and not at the soldiers who were fighting for her cause. We all knew that she didn't mean it, and that she was just acting out from fear and stress. But we were all at the end of our rope, and unsure of what to do.

Several times, I had found Bianca curled up in her cot, legs pulled up to her chest as she tried to breathe. There were some nights I slept in her cot with her, just because she didn't want to be alone. And there were some evenings that she almost fell into my tent from either exhaustion or stress, and I could say nothing but place a goblet of wine in front of her, that she took with a surprising amount of gratitude.

After several weeks of this, I found I hated Nerissa more and more. She was the one doing this to Bianca, to all of us. It would all be over so quickly if she simply surrendered and gave Bianca back her home and title. But instead, she was dragging out this torture of waiting.

She had done nothing in the last few weeks. Several of the servants had run away the moment we declared the palace under siege. Most of them just wanted to go home to their families, so we let them. We knew that there were only a few loyal servants and a very small handful of highborns inside, as well as a small regiment of guards.

With the sheer number of men we had, we could storm the palace and take it back. However, the order from the King and Queen was to try and take Nerissa alive, so she could stand for trial for her crimes. And the guards and other highborns were innocents. Bloodshed was to be avoided at all costs. We had them surrounded, and it would only be a matter of time before she had to surrender.

But, one good thing had come out of all of the free time we had.

I had managed to track down Christopher's tent a few days after we arrived. And I had apologised to him.

He had not deserved the things I had said to him. He had been right all along, that it had been easy to blame Ella for what happened to James. I had lashed out in anger and grief, and done more harm than good. And I had upset him too.

Christopher had been through so much. He had lost his father and his closest friend only hours apart. And not only that, but he'd had to assume the role of a Duke, with all the responsibilities and duties that came with. But he had fought through it, and hadn't let it break him.

I had practiced the words over and over in my head, trying to think of any way to atone for the horrid way I had treated him. And also for Bianca's treatment of him.

Christopher, being the generous soul that he was, told me there was nothing to forgive, and that he had deserved everything I had told him. He didn't want there to be any ill will between us. However, there was one issue that I still didn't want to budge on.

Ella.

No matter how much of Christopher's word rang true, that I had idolised her and that my anger at her was because she had broken that image, I still couldn't find it in my heart to forgive her. Not quite yet.

My anger had certainly abated a little, but after all this time, I still couldn't let go of the fact that I knew it all could have been so easily avoided.

That he still could have been here, with me. With us.

As soon as James was mentioned, we couldn't seem to stop talking about him. Christopher told me all sorts of stories from when they were younger; the adventures they used to get up to in Ashburne, the times James used to stay at the palace to avoid his father, the strange jokes that they're group always had with each other.

We ended up talking well into the evening that night. And the strangest part was, that it wasn't upsetting.

We talked of our memories of him with joy and nostalgia, not with despair and grief. I actually found myself laughing at several of the stories about him, because I could almost picture a sixteen-year old James climbing out of a window to go and write rude words on the tutor's slate. And I could also see Antony joining him, while Philip and Christopher stood in the doorway, telling them to hurry up. And then the next morning watching them all bite their cheeks when the tutor started raging to stop laughing.

I wasn't sure what it was, but talking about James with someone who really knew him seemed to…lift me. To know that it wasn't just me having to cope alone, and to know that someone else knew him as closely as I did.

We had talked late into the evening without realising it. It was only when the guard outside Christopher's tent poked his head through the flap to inform us that his shift was over, did we realise it must be almost midnight. Christopher had walked me back to my tent, and left me at the door.

'I hope we can find more time to do this Marion.' He had said.

I shrugged.

'If time allows. I'm due at Mr Johnson's tent first thing in the morning.'

'And I'm planning with Philip, Antony and Bianca all tomorrow. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, but at some point soon. Even if it's when this is all over.'

Christopher sighed.

'You were his wife. And I know you miss him as much as I do. This…talking about him…it makes everything easier.' He admitted.

I could only nod.

'Yes. It does rather.' I told him. And I meant it.

So, the weeks had gone by, and we had all slowly become accustomed to our new life.

Hopefully temporary life. As much as I didn't mind putting up with living in a tent for a few weeks, I hoped it wouldn't be too much longer. The nights were already cold enough as it was, and winter wasn't even here yet. I knew I had no right to complain, but I didn't really enjoy always being cold. Solid walls were something I now knew I was never going to take for granted again.

After all this time just waiting, I knew the men were impatient for action. For something to do that wasn't just training, or drills. There was almost an atmosphere of anticipation, and also of frustration. They wanted Philip and Bianca to do something. They were all cold, living in a camp, with nothing to do. But so far, they hadn't found a way past the walls that wouldn't defy the King and Queen's order.

I could sense it as I wandered through the camp, a bucket of clean water held tightly in my hand. I was on my way to Mr Johnson's tent after some idiot managed to slice his hand open when he picked up his sword the wrong way. It wasn't bad enough to require stitches, but it did need to be cleaned as he had fallen in the mud shortly afterwards.

And unfortunately, the army had not made camp close to a source of water. The nearest one was either in the village, which was twenty minute's walk, or to the stream that fed the moat which was ten. I didn't mind the exercise, despite the cold weather, but it was getting a little annoying; considering how much water we went through. Most of my day was spent fetching and carrying water.

The chores were a little boring, and frustrating; as was our current life. Some of the other soldiers felt it too. But at least they had managed to warm up to us a little. They had slowly gotten used to seeing us around the camp, and I had a feeling Alexander had made it painfully clear that we were not to be messed with.

The familiar sight of Mr Johnson's tent approached, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The weight was starting to hurt my shoulders. One foot in front of the other, ignoring the mud that clung to my boots.

However, the sound of voices on the other side made me stop instantly.

'How long?'

'Hard to say exactly…about six months, give or take a few weeks.' Replied a male voice

'And is there anything I can do? To relieve the…the sickness?'

'Unfortunately no. But it will pass, in time.'

I knew both of those voice very well, and it made my heart stop.

The male one was the quiet and calm tone of Mr Johnson.

However, the other voice was female.

And I had heard it enough times in the past few months to recognise it anywhere.

And my suspicions were only confirmed when I pulled back the tent flap and walked in.

Scarlett sat on a chair opposite Mr Johnson, her eyes going wide from shock the moment she beheld me.

'Marion!' She cried, jumping to her feet.

I placed the water down carefully.

'What are you doing here Scarlett?' I asked, looking between the two of them.

'Nothing. I was…I was just…wondering if I could help here more?' Scarlett said in a high tone.

Her voice always rose a few tones when she lied.

'But you can't stand it here.' I told her, with a tone that implied that she wasn't going to get away with lying to my face. 'You get nauseous.'

Scarlett frantically looked around, clearly trying to think of something to say.

I simply waited. And Mr Johnson did what he was very good at doing, and disappeared to look over his medical bag.

'Oh, goodness. I completely forgot, I'm due at the kitchen. I left Mary in charge of the stew, and it will be all ruined!' Scarlett cried, trying to squeeze past me.

I raised my eyebrow, but didn't stop her getting past. There was clearly something up with her that she didn't want to tell me. I had half a mind to stand and make her, especially if what I had heard about her only having a matter of months left. But until what?

She didn't seem sick. She'd hardly had a headache since the moment she arrived in Rault.

But before I could ask her any more, she ran past me, and out of the tent.

Leaving me stunned.

What on earth had gotten into Scarlett?

Slowly, I turned back to Mr Johnson.

'Is she alright?' I asked.

'Yes, of course.' He told me, finding something very interesting at the bottom of his bag.

I didn't believe that for a moment.

But Mr Johnson continued to ignore me and picked up the bucket of water I had brought. It needed to be boiled to clean it first, before it could be used for anything. He claimed that the heat killed any potential infection. He had brought a very clever contraption that collected the steam from the boiling water and condensed it back into clean water. I hadn't seen anything so marvellous since I had been living in Milton with Isabelle. I knew she would love to see it.

I helped him lift the bucket of water and pour it into the waiting pot.

'I heard things, from outside.' I admitted.

'You shouldn't be eavesdropping, it's not polite.' Mr Johnson told me, with a small grin.

'I couldn't help it. Her voice carries.' I told him.

'Scarlett is fine. Everything is as it should be.'

'Then what was that about only having six months? What's going to happen? Is she sick?' I insisted.

Mr Johnson sighed, but with a knowing smile on his face.

'She will tell you when she's ready. But I suspect there is someone else she need to talk to first. You will find out in good time. All you need to know is that everything is as it should be.'

At that, the pieces finally fell into place.

And I froze.

Everything made sense.

Scarlett needed to talk to Alexander before me.

Because there was a reason she felt nauseous. And I suspected that it wasn't just around Mr Johnson's tent. But particularly in the morning. She'd been pale for weeks.

How had I not seen it before?

Scarlett had lost her appetite, had felt sick whenever I tried to drag her to help at Mr Johnson's in the morning.

And of course, she had been married for nearly five months.

Which usually led to…

If my suspicions were correct, Scarlett was going to change quite a lot over the next six months.

Not because she was ill.

Not because she was dying.

But because she was actually creating life.

 _Scarlett was pregnant._

The words clattered around my head.

 _She was going to have a baby._

My brother's wife was pregnant.

She had all the signs, I had just been too blind to see them.

In six month's time, there would be another little Brown.

Because apparently there weren't enough of us already.

I hardly knew what to think.

What to feel!

Scarlett was pregnant!

Alexander and Scarlett were going to have a baby.

If she still had six months to go, then she wasn't very far along. She wouldn't be showing for another month or so.

My mother had been pregnant enough times, so I certainly knew a lot about what was in store for her.

'Marion?'

I snapped out of my thoughts.

Mr Johnson was stood in front of me, his finger snapped as he tried to make me awaken.

'Yes. Sorry. I just…I think…Scar…' I stumbled for words.

Mr Johnson raised his eyebrow at me in question.

'Well, whatever you think about Scarlett, its best kept to yourself. I shouldn't have said anything. It's up to her when she tells everyone, although I suspect you've guessed. And I imagine she will want to tell her husband first.'

I found myself needing to sit down. It still felt odd to hear Alexander referred to as Scarlett's husband.

 _Alexander was going to be a father!_

Alexander, my little brother! He was going to have a baby to look after.

I didn't for a second think he wasn't ready for it. No, Alexander had been ready for becoming a father for years. He had always looked after all of us, being more of a father to Gwen and Robbie than brother. He had always had a paternal instinct, taking it upon himself to provide for us, even if his methods were not the greatest. The poaching incident came to mind.

They were going to be a family.

And that meant that I was going to be an Aunt.

My heart almost stopped.

Another little Brown…

'Marion? I know that it's a shock, but we have work to do. So could you come back to reality long enough so we can dress this idiot's hand?' Mr Johnson asked.

My mind was still spinning, but I nodded.

This was not an issue for the moment. Scarlett hadn't even told me yet, so she didn't want me to know yet. I could think about all of this when they wanted me to know. But at the present time, I was still in a war camp, and there was much to be done.

War, winning back Bianca's title and home. Not dying. These were things to worry about right now.

That could wait.

But life could not.

I had things to do.

To do what small part I could.

War first, life after.

That was how it was.

'Alright. I'll get the bandages.' I told Mr Johnson.

And then I set to work.

That night, I was awoken by a piercing cry.

It ripped through the night like nothing I'd ever known.

Half leaping out of my cot, terror filled my every sense.

Were we being attacked?

The cry was masculine.

Had Nerissa attacked us?

Hand shaking, and my head still fuzzy from sleep, I jumped out of bed. Daniel was there too, beside me, crying out in shock.

Loud footsteps sounded outside the tent, and it was clear that people were running.

Terror consumed me.

I had no weapon, save a small knife that I kept in my boots, which were on the other side of the tent.

I flew across the tent to grab them, while Daniel's hands clasped around his new sword.

'What's going on?' I cried.

Daniel's answering shrug was all the answer I was going to get.

He viciously took his jacket and pulled it on over his night things.

No answers. Nothing.

What on earth was going on?

I was scared, more than I thought possible.

If were being attacked, this could be it. A battle. People dying. My brother's being in danger.

And my sisters too.

There were more footsteps, approaching us.

Panic consumed me.

Were they here for us? To kill us?

What was I supposed to do?

I wanted to run. I wanted to run and not look back.

I was not brave, not courageous. I just wanted to run.

'Daniel? What do-' I shouted, but I was too slow and the flap of the tent was thrown back.

Alexander stood panting in the doorway of the tent. His cheeks were red, and he appeared to be shaking.

'Alexander?' Daniel asked.

'Scar?' Alexander cried, his eyes wide with fear as he frantically searched our tent from the doorway.

'What?' I asked, pulling a cloak around my shoulders.

'Scar? Is she here? Scar!' Alexander shouted, striding around, pulling the cloth back from our beds.

'No. Why, where is Scarlett?' I asked, my own voice sounding foreign to me.

'Scarlett?' Came another voice from behind Alexander. Bianca was running at full speed down the path, her own cloak flying in the wind revealing the fact that she was already dressed.

'What is going on?' Daniel cried, but Alexander wouldn't stop.

My head snapped from Bianca to Alexander and back to Bianca.

What on earth had happened to Scarlett?

What was going on?

'Alexander.' I cried, pulling at his shoulder, but he brushed it away.

'Alexander, stop!' I cried.

Yanking him around until he was facing me, I made Alexander stop and face me.

His eyes were wide, and I could already see the beginning of silver mist lining those familiar eyes. He couldn't seem to catch his breath, and everything about him betrayed the immense amount of terror he was clearly feeling.

'What's happened?' I demanded.

'Scar's gone. She's just vanished!' Alexander managed to get out between pants.

Bianca came flying through the tent door at that moment.

'Is she here?' She shouted.

I couldn't form words. I didn't know what to think.

Scarlett was gone?

And by the way Alexander and Bianca were acting, it didn't sound like she had simply left of her own accord.

'No. What happened?' Daniel asked; he was as clueless as I was.

Bianca had to take several large gulps of air, while Alexander crossed his arms in front of himself, as if he were trying to stop his chest from caving in.

'She said she needed to...go to the toilet. You know she hasn't been feeling very well lately.' Alexander explained.

I instinctively bit my lip.

If what I thought was correct, there was a very good reason for that.

'She told me to go back to sleep. I..I only closed my eyes for a minute, I swear!' Alexander cried.

Behind him, there were soldiers running and the noise began to build.

'The alarm sounded. The guard's been knocked unconscious. The man who discovered him came to find me.' Bianca said, her voice tone unfamiliar. I knew she was trying so hard to keep a strain on her emotions.

'But Scarlett's gone.' She admitted.

At those words, the first sob broke free from Alexander's lips.

It was a horrid sound. One I never hoped I would have to hear from my brother. And one I hoped to never have to hear again. For I had once uttered that sound of despair, in the darkest moment of my life.

'Nerissa took her. I know it.' Alexander cried, tears rolling down his face.

Without thinking, I moved, and pulled my arms around my brother.

His warm tears fell onto my shoulder as he lost all control and sobbed. His shoulder shook as he clung to me tightly.

Behind me, I heard movement that sounded rather like someone storming out. I didn't need to look as Daniel shouted.

'Bianca wait!'

'I'm going to find her. I am going to get my sister back!' She screamed back at him. It was painfully clear that she wanted to sob like Alexander was, but I knew that at the moment, she was more angry than upset.

I didn't know what to do.

Scarlett had been taken.

Who knows what had happened to her. Had Nerissa simply taken her prisoner?

Or worse….

I was not going to imagine it. Nerissa couldn't…could she?

Scarlett was her stepdaughter.

She would…kill her.

And then another horrible thought clattered through my head.

Scarlett was pregnant.

It wasn't just Scarlett that they had captured. But also her unborn baby. Alexander's child.

Oh no.

Oh, heaven above, no.

If anything happened to her, she could lose it. Nerissa might cause her to lose her child. She was still early on, so the risk was higher.

No!

And what of Alexander? Did he know? Had she had chance today to tell him?

My throat went dry.

Terror, not for myself, but for my sister in law, filled me.

What on earth were we going to do?

Alexander still clung to me, moaning Scarlett's name in despair.

The idea to ask him if he knew Scarlett's news briefly flitted across my mind. But I quickly threw it away. He was already suffering enough. He didn't need anything else to worry about, if he didn't already know. His finding out that there was another life to worry about in this situation was not going to help anyone.

The noise of the soldiers behind us was now getting too loud to ignore, as I sensed someone else entering the tent. Shifting Alexander around so I could crane my neck behind me, I saw Christopher stood in his nightclothes, his face shocked and confused.

'Scarlett's been taken by Nerissa.' I told him, my own voice breaking.

And then it finally hit me.

Scarlett was in grave danger. Nerissa had already tried to kill Bianca, who's to say she wouldn't do the same to Scarlett if she was given the opportunity?

She didn't deserve this. She was good, and kind, and sweet, and her only crime was marrying for love. As if that could be called a crime.

And now, she was no doubt terrified, and alone, and in mortal danger. Her, and her baby.

I didn't know what to feel first. Anger? Rage? Despair? Terror?

All these things seemed to accumulate inside of me, my head spinning completely out of control.

We had to do something. We had to get her back.

But I just seemed frozen.

Shock? Was that what this was? I couldn't tell anymore. I didn't know anything anymore.

'No.' Christopher breathed.

'Scar…' A broken whimper fell from my brother's lips.

And my heart seemed to break.

But my head cleared.

Pulling back, I held Alexander's shoulder with one hand, and grabbed his chin making him look me in the eye, with the other.

'Alexander, look at me. Listen to me! We are going to get her back. She is going to be safe and back here with us. We are going to find her.'

Tears rolled down my own face. I wasn't sure of the cause, whether it was despair, or anger. Or just the damned frustration that Nerissa had managed to get ahead of us yet again.

'You are not going to lose her. None of us are. We promised we are all going home after this. All of us. This family is not losing anyone else.' I swore.

My brother blinked.

And I knew I was going to fight for him.

Because I had already lost my husband. I was going to go through hell before I let my brother lose his wife.

History was not going to repeat itself.

Here was a chance to change the story. A chance for someone to get the happy ending I was deprived of.

And by all the stars above, we deserved that happy ending.

So I was going to fight.

I was going to get Scarlett Brown back.

I was going to change our story.

Nerissa didn't know what was about to hit her. And she would be sorry for this, and for everything else she had done.

Because I was coming for her.

And nothing was going to stop me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten.**

The search parties went out immediately.

Almost the entire camp was sent into the woods to find Scarlett.

The cold night air was filled with cries of 'Scarlett?' and 'Mrs Brown?'.

The birds were singing as well. As if they could get to her and tell her we were looking for her.

The parties had gone out after it had only been half an hour since the camp was woken up by Alexander's cry. That had been the moment he realised his wife had been taken.

Her side of the bed was still warm. And all her things were still there.

She had just vanished.

But the guard at the entrance to the camp still wasn't conscious. Which meant she certainly hadn't left of her own will. Unless magically, nineteen-year old Scarlett had knocked out a fully grown and armed guard. Whilst pregnant…

It seemed rather unlikely.

And also, because I knew Scarlett would never leave.

She loved Alexander. With all her heart. I had never doubted for a moment that my brother might get hurt because Scarlett didn't care enough about him.

They were blissfully happy. Truly in love.

And especially now she was…carrying their child.

Even regardless of that, her sister was here. She would never dream of walking out on Bianca in her moment of need.

She had been taken against her will. That much was certain.

Bianca had screamed and raged at Philip until her had sent out every available man to look for her sister; not that he had needed much convincing. I joined Antony and Alexander in a group that moved towards the Palace walls. Bianca had gone with Daniel and Christopher in the other direction.

The trees around us only served to obscure our view as we wandered through the night.

Alexander was on edge. More so than I had ever seen him before. He set a brutal pace, dragging us along with him. I swore he was going to make us search the entire forest before sun rise.

I didn't blame him. I wanted to find Scarlett, almost as much as I suspected Alexander did.

Scarlett was my sister. And a close friend. I was not going to let Nerissa take her.

'Scarlett!' Alexander shouted, his voice drifting into the night.

It was joined by a chorus of other, though none were quite as desperate as his was.

'SCAR, WHERE ARE YOU?' Alexander screamed, his voice turning raw.

I too was shouting her name as we hurried toward the palace walls. Although there were search parties in all directions, the chances were that Nerissa had taken her back to the palace. She couldn't remain in the forest for long before someone came upon them.

Which meant that she had a way to get out of the palace. Without us knowing.

Maybe that's why she was taking so long. She was just waiting for us to give up because she knew she could get out whenever she wanted.

What if it wasn't even her in the palace. Just someone standing in for her while she escaped.

'Lady Scarlett?' Antony called, spinning around to check behind him. No one bothered to correct him that she technically wasn't a Lady anymore. In fact, he called her that all the time.

'Scarlett! Please!' Alexander cried, almost running now.

My own breath came in pants from just trying to keep up with him. But I didn't care.

We had to find her.

We just had to.

Alexander moved so quickly, at one point his torch was extinguished and he was forced to stop for a moment while Antony re-lit it.

And all the time, not a single trace of her.

Not a footprint, not a hair.

I didn't really know what I was looking for. I presumed something that would look like there had been a fight. Scarlett wouldn't have let Nerissa take her without a struggle.

I searched the ground for a snapped twig, a scrap of cloth…even blood.

But nothing.

The Wall around the palace loomed before us. It grew larger and more daunting with every step.

The end of the line.

She was not here.

'No!' Alexander cried, finally loosening his relentless pace a little. 'No, no, no.'

He handed his torch to me as he slowly made his way to the wall.

The solid sandstone before us stretched all around the palace. There was no way in, other than the permanently closed and guarded gate.

My brother lay his hand against the wall as his head fell forward.

'No!' He cried again, smacking his hand hard against the stone.

'She might still be in the other direction.' Antony suggested, trying desperately to lift the tone a little. As much as I appreciated his effort, it wasn't helping.

My own heart began to sink. I had hoped that we would find something. Anything. Some small scrap of a clue.

But, it wasn't to be.

'She's not here!' Alexander ground out.

'There's men everywhere. Someone will find something soon.' Antony said encouragingly.

My brother grunted in respond and smacked the wall again.

'I need her back now!' He said, turning around to face us. Even in the low candle light, it was clear that he couldn't stop the tears from falling.

'We will find her soon.' I offered, trying to swallow the rather uncomfortable lump that had risen in my throat. We just had to find her soon. I didn't know how much more I could take.

I was so scared for her. She didn't deserve this. And I wanted her back with us more than anything.

'Then we keep going.' Alexander informed us, turning to his left. He didn't even wait for a response before he took back his torch from my hand and began to storm back off into the trees.

Before I could move, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

'Marion, are you alright?' Antony asked, pulling me round to face him.

I shook my head.

'No. Nothing about this is alright.' I told him honestly.

Antony nodded, but then bit his lip.

'I meant, you're still panting. Do you need to rest for a minute?'

At that moment, I became acutely aware of how badly I was breathing. And my throat felt on fire from lack of water.

I had completely lost track of how long we'd been running through the forest for. My only thought had been of Scarlett. I had pushed down any need for water or rest.

'I'm fine.' I insisted.

'No, you're not. You're exhausted. Marion, you look like you're going to collapse any moment.' Antony told me.

'I'm fine.' I repeated.

'Marion, stop. You're no use to anyone like this. You're just draining yourself for nothing. Go back to the camp and get some rest.'

'No I'm not!'

'Yes you are!'

As much as I hated to admit it, I was utterly exhausted. We had been searching for hours in the dead of night.

'But, Alexander…he's more in need than I am.' I told Antony, trying to supress a yawn.

'Alexander's going to drive himself to brink soon. But I doubt he's going to stop until morning, at the earliest. There is no way in hell we are convincing him to rest. But you need to get some sleep. We need some people awake tomorrow to go looking with fresh eyes. People make mistakes when their exhausted, and we can't afford to make mistakes.' Antony explained.

I didn't want to go. Alexander's torch was getting dimmer and dimmer in the distance.

'Marion…he would tell you the same.' Antony said finally.

I didn't need him to explain who 'he' was.

'He'd want you to look after yourself. Trust me, please.' Antony continued.

If I hadn't already been so drained, physically and emotionally, I would have fought back. I would have told him that I was going to find Scarlett tonight.

But I knew, deep down, that he was right.

I was no use to Alexander or Scarlett in my current state. I would only be a burden. I could scarcely stand, let alone search the ground for a trace of her.

And so, I reluctantly agreed.

'Stay with him. Don't leave him alone. And don't take anything he says to heart. He can be…difficult when upset, and well…you can see him now.' I warned Antony.

He nodded in response.

'Noted. I'll try my best.' He said, before turning and running off after my brother, who had gotten a rather long way ahead.

I, on the other hand, turned back to the camp, and began to walk.

My feet ached, and my head spun. I wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion or from lack of water or…some other strain. But I made it back to the camp. One foot in front of the other. Ever steadily making me way back one step at a time.

It was strange. To see the camp almost deserted.

I had become so used to the bustle of life between these rows of tents. There was noise constantly, and smells, and just a sense of community.

But now, there was hardly anyone.

There were a few guards set up around the perimeter, and a few boy soldiers who sat tending to the fires. Antony had been right, we did need fresh eyes for the morning, when the light was better. A few slept, a few stayed on watch.

I stumbled my way past familiar row on row of the camp, until the much appreciated sight of my own tent came into view.

I should have changed. I should have taken my boots off. But in that moment, all I could do was collapse onto my cot, and let the sweet release of darkness take me.

* * *

The night had yielded nothing.

No one had found anything. Not a trace.

Scarlett was still missing. And we were no closer to finding her.

I wandered through the trees, the muffled sunlight obscured by clouds and leaves. But in truth, I didn't care. My gaze was fixed solely on the ground, looking for anything that might suggest that Scarlett had been taken this way in the last few hours.

It was mid-morning, and the men had returned hours ago. Most of them were irritated and exhausted and had gone straight to sleep. Alexander had only returned less than thirty minutes ago, and only because Antony had dragged him back. I had never seen him in such a bad state. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was sporting many fresh bruises. Antony had said that he tripped several times, and had run into a branch. I wouldn't have believed him, but the evidence was there on his skin. He too had succumbed to sleep, but I didn't think it would last very long. We had a few hours at most before he awoke and remembered his wife was still missing, and that we had convinced him to rest.

It was approaching ten hours since she had disappeared.

Who knew what Nerissa had done to her in that time! Were we already too late?

What if Scarlett…was already….

I stopped myself thinking in such a way.

Scarlett was going to be fine. She was going to come home with us.

I couldn't face anything else.

I simply couldn't.

She had to be alright.

She, and her baby.

She was coming home with us.

Looking around, I desperately hoped for some sort of clue. Something all the search parties last night had missed.

Even Bianca had been forced to come back to camp to sleep, as much as she hated it. Like Alexander, I didn't think she would sleep for very long before setting out again to track her sister. She had mumbled something about waking her up in a few minutes, but I knew I was going to let her sleep. She needed it.

Bianca was determined to get her back. Possibly more than Alexander was.

After so long apart, was it really any wonder that these sisters would go through hell just to save the other? To ensure that the other lived another day, to fight for what they truly believed in. To fight for their own right to rule. For their own right to live.

It was only a matter of time before Bianca woke up and came to shout at me for making her sleep. But I had bigger problems than her anger.

I had to find something. Anything.

Any small clue.

But the ground was now covered in footprints from the search last night. Nothing else out of the ordinary.

The forest was just as bear as ever.

The silence was interrupted by the occasional shout. There were other men looking for her, the ones who stayed back last night. Philip himself was out here somewhere.

He had been forced to stay behind last night. There needed to be someone in the camp to report to. But as soon as Christopher had returned last night, he had taken it upon himself to go out and look.

I wandered around, trying to rack my brain for the small detail I might have missed last night. But nothing.

She was just gone. And no one seemed able to trace her.

Behind me, a sound echoed through the trees, and force me to turn around.

It wasn't a cry, or a shout.

But rather, hoof beats.

Someone was riding nearby. And by the fact it was getting louder, I guessed they were coming towards us.

Towards the camp.

I spun, and craned my neck to try and see who was approaching through the trees.

Maybe it was a messenger from the King and Queen.

Or maybe one from Nerissa.

What if she had terms, and would give us Scarlett back?

Or better yet, what if it was Scarlett, who found a way to escape? And somehow acquired a horse?

Hope rose in my chest.

Maybe she was back, safe and sound.

Without thinking, I ran forward to try and intercept the horse.

Closer and closer I ran, until a blur through the trees finally became visible in front of me.

And my heart sunk.

No red hair.

It wasn't even a woman.

But a man.

However, it was a man I had seen before.

I stood in shock for a moment, as Lord Edward Knighton pulled his horse to a halt in front of me.

'Lady Marion?' He asked, a little surprised.

I couldn't find words to respond.

Lord Edward was here?

What on earth…

How…

'Lady Marion, are you alright?' He asked, jumping down from his horse.

Snapping out of my daze, my mind went racing.

I hadn't seen Lord Edward in over a year. And that was the only time I had ever met him. He had been at Ella's ball, with his wife.

His wife, who was the reason the curse on my family was broken last year.

I hadn't heard from Lady Annette either in the months that had passed.

And he was here?

What?

'Lord Knighton?' I asked, my voice sounding foreign to me.

'Yes, I'm here at the request of Duke Christopher. I brought men with me.'

At that, he gestured behind him, where there was indeed a long line of guards quite a way back down the path.

'I was riding on ahead to talk to the Duke about lodging and such.' He explained.

'You're here to help?' I asked incredously.

He nodded.

'Yes, I thought you knew I was coming? Did Christopher not-'

'No.' I interrupted.

'My letter must have only arrived yesterday. Maybe he hadn't had chance to tell you all yet.' He continued.

The moment he spoke those words, I remembered all about Scarlett, and the entire reason I was here in the forest in the first place.

'No, he didn't. But we've all been a little busy since last night.' I informed him.

Lord Edward cocked his head to the side at my words.

'Why?'

I exhaled.

'My sister in law…Scar…She was taken last night. By Nerissa.' I managed to get out, regardless of the rather painful lump in my throat that had risen.

Lord Edward stepped back at that.

'What?' He shouted.

'We've been looking all night.' I told him, my voice wobbling from emotion. 'And nothing.'

'Oh hell.' Lord Edward breathed. 'Is that Lady Scarlett you speak of? Nerissa's stepdaughter?'

I could only nod.

Speaking it out loud, it made me lose my composure. Scarlett was gone, and was in grave danger.

She was probably terrified, and all alone.

This was the woman who had tried to have Bianca arrested and put to death for murder. Who had tried to marry Scarlett off to someone completely in her control, and make him unspeakable things to her.

She could be locked in a dungeon. She could be in pain right now. Scarlett knew almost everything about the camp, Nerissa might try to attain that knowledge somehow.

What is she was chained and screaming right at this second?

Lord Edward didn't miss a beat. He quickly jumped back onto his horse, and told me he would return in a moment.

I watched as he forced his horse to gallop back to towards his men, who were slowly marching down the path. It didn't take very long for him to catch them up, and I could do nothing but stare as he shouted some orders at them, making them all split off into different directions and search the area.

I felt almost sick with relief as Lord Edward returned.

I had no idea what I was looking for. I didn't know the first thing about tracking people in a forest. But at least some of his men might. And they probably had a greater chance than I did in finding something meaningful.

And although they were no doubt tired from their journey, they were not exhausted because they had been searching all night.

Lord Edward stopped just in front of me, and lowered his hand.

'I'll give you a ride back to the camp. Tell me everything that happened.'

I reached up and closed my hand around his gloved one, and jumped while he pulled me up. Somehow, I managed to perch on the back of his saddle with my arms holding tight onto his shoulders as we began to gallop back to the familiar rows of tents.

While we rode, I informed him of what exactly had happened since last night. How quickly everything had turned on its head.

We had been so careless, thinking ourselves safe, with our guards and the large wall between us and Nerissa. But we had been so horribly wrong.

He also asked about Bianca.

The last time we had met, he had produced that curious piece of paper that contained my family's names, as well as Bianca, Scarlett, James, and some other person named Jack.

I hadn't dwelt much on the other name.

Even though I knew I should have.

But in the year that had passed since discovering that piece of paper, and the mysterious ring that appeared to have belonged to him, I hadn't had the time or energy to look any further into it.

And it was even worse because that name was the subject of one of the last conversations I had ever had with James. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet anyway.

And especially not now. I was in the middle of a war, there was no time to think on 'Jack' now.

But I told him about Bianca, and her struggle. I had already told him most of it the last time we had met, but now I filled him in on what had happened recently to start this war.

He listened carefully, asking question to try and comprehend what I had just said.

But then he asked about Scarlett. As it turns out, he had already met her once. He lived in Bianca's lands, and had attended Nerissa's court briefly. So he had seen Scarlett from a distance, and knew what Nerissa was like.

At the mention of Scarlett's name, all the fear I had pushed aside came flooding back.

And I fell silent.

Lord Edward didn't push it. He just turned his attention to the path before him, and we rode in silence for a few more minutes until the tents came into view.

I told him where to go, how to get to the royal tent. Philip was still out looking, but Christopher should have been there.

We reached it, hardly encountering any of the soldiers. That was mainly because they had all fallen asleep after being up so late last night. Not that I blamed any of them.

We dismounted and Lord Edward began to tie up his horse, when I grabbed his arm and made him turn to face me.

'Why are you here? Truly?' I asked.

It was something that had been irritating me since the moment I had seen him again.

People didn't just bring their men and guards with them for no reason. Christopher was here because Philip had asked him, and in James's memory.

But Lord Edward had no such ties to us. So there was something larger at play here.

'I'm very grateful that you are here. But why? It makes no sense.'

Lord Edward sighed.

'Really, Lady Marion? You don't know?' He asked.

I shook my head with my honest answer.

He gave me an exasperated smile.

'I'm here, because of you.' He said simply.

Once again, I stood stunned.

'What?' I asked.

'You helped save my son. I know you did it unknowingly, but I meant what I said when I told you I would be grateful for the rest of my life. You helped us figure out how to stop that faerie, and without you, we would have lost our little boy. So, I am here to try and repay that debt.'

'But…What…' I stuttered.

My mind spun.

He was here, because I had read a part of a book and written a letter to Ella, that then somehow reached him and helped Lady Annette trap and kill that faerie.

This was mad. Utterly mad.

'I did nothing…Lady Annette, she was the one…the one who…I should be indebted to her!'

'I also heard about your husband.' Lord Edward continued kindly. 'Such a tragedy. I liked him, he seemed like a decent fellow. I know that if it had been me; if I lost Annette…I would want people to support me. You must have gone through hell, and yet your still here. So, I'm here to offer what little I can, to try and make some good out of this situation. For all that you've done for us.'

I froze.

I hadn't done anything, and yet here he was.

It still didn't make sense.

He was…too kind. People didn't just do this for no reason.

And as much as I wanted to believe that he was simply the greatest person on earth, who had done this for us, I highly doubted that was the entire reason he was here.

'As well, there's-' Lord Edward began.

'Lord Knighton! I thought I heard your voice!' Interrupted Christopher, striding out of the Royal tent.

But when he saw me stood there, next to Lord Edward, he paused.

'Any news?' He asked.

I shook my head.

'No, nothing.' I replied, and felt my own heart sink with the admission.

But in truth, I had no idea was I was searching for. I was just so desperate to get Scarlett back, that I was simply hoping that something would present itself to me, and I would know what had happened.

In reality, I had been staring at the ground, not comprehending what any of the shapes in the mud meant. What if I had walked over a clue, and discarded it.

I just felt so useless. There was almost nothing I could do but sit and wait. I could go back out into the forest and look, but I once again had no idea what I was looking for. And all the while, Scarlett was still gone.

Christopher turned his attention to Lord Edward, and brought him into the tent to inform him of what the current plan was. I also joined them, and listened, but I had nothing to add, no useful ideas or input.

I was just too far out of my depth. And I didn't know what to do.

So, I just listened. I knew Bianca would wake up soon, and she no doubt would need to know what was happening.

I passed the hours by staying with Christopher and Edward until Edward went to re-join his men and inform them of their next orders. Then, I made my way to Mr Johnson's tent.

There were more men there than I expected. As it turned out, there were several men who had tripped in the dark and hurt themselves. Not seriously, but a sprained wrist or ankle here and there. Mr Johnson noted my arrival, and immediately set me to work bandaging up limbs so they heal in the correct position.

I was grateful for the distraction. At least here, I knew I was helping. Out in the forest, I could have actually hindered them. As much as I wanted to be out in the forest trying to find her, I knew I would be far more help to the men here, and not out there looking.

Doing what little I could, brought me at least some comfort. And some of the men were actually quite interesting to talk to. They all had different stories as to how they had ended up in the royal army in the first place. Some had joined as young boys, hoping for adventure. Some had seen it as a way to prove themselves. And some had just discovered that fighting was what they were good at, and had joined because they had nothing else to do.

Some were rude. Others polite and courteous.

No two soldiers were the same. And that rather fascinated me. I had never before been somewhere where there were so many different kinds of people. My almost my entire life, I had lived in villages, where most people were born there, and lived there until they died. Occasionally people moved, like I did to Milton, but generally no further than that.

But this camp…

It was such a mix. There were penniless lowborns sat next to younger sons of knights and lords. And in the royal tent, there was the crown prince, a duke and a Duchess.

And then there was me.

I truly didn't know where I fitted in. Was I a highborn, because I was now a lady? But apart from those three and a half months with James, I had been a lowborn with no money or rank. We had almost been on the brink of starvation in that month after father had died. And yet, I had been a guest at the royal court.

My life truly made no sense. I had no place, no role.

But, when one is in a war camp, one doesn't have much time to contemplate such matters. Especially when one's sister in law had disappeared.

Afternoon arrived, and I slowly made my way to Bianca's tent.

She had slept for about five hours, so it wouldn't be long before she awoke. If she wasn't already awake.

Bianca was going to wake up to discover that her sister was still missing, and still in their murdering stepmother's grasp. Nothing had happened while she slept.

She was going to explode.

Bianca had been on edge almost the entire time we had been at the camp. She took everything on herself, blamed herself anytime something went wrong. I knew it weighed on her. It was killing me to see her like this.

She was so much better than this. Philip, Christopher and Antony were a little scared of her, and with good reason. Antony, I think, was more…intrigued than scared. She hadn't exactly made it easy on them.

But she was scared. And this was all new for her. She had been an outlaw in the forest for almost five years, talking to hardly anybody, and hiding away from anyone who could turn her in. Was it really any wonder that she found her manners were a little rough around the edges.

Finally, I arrived, and pulled back the tent flap.

I had become very familiar with Bianca's tent. I had slept in here on several occasions, and we had spent hours and hours trying to make sense of Philip latest plan.

Although they knew she had been an outlaw prior to this, it was painfully obvious that they didn't expect her to arrive with only the clothes on her back.

The tent had been almost bear. Other than a cot, there was very little else. Was it the usual practice for Dukes and Duchesses to bring furniture with them? I didn't know, having never had the need to find out. Maybe it was something to do with the quality of the furniture that was given to the soldiers.

But regardless of the reason, Bianca had managed to acquire some of the standard issue furniture; a table and some chairs, and a trunk that could be used as a table or a chair. It was more that she had in Rault, but it still wasn't very much. And the lack of items was only made more painful when there was a stark reminder of exactly what she was owed only a few minutes away.

I sighed, as I stepped through and let the flap close behind me. Bianca had been sleeping soundly, her front pressed into the cot, and her head turned to one side. However, the rustling sound of the tent flap being closer managed to jolt her awake. I silently cursed myself for not being more careful. She had lived in the forest for years. Of course she awoke at the smallest sound.

'Arry?' She asked in a sleep muffled voice as her eyes opened.

'Yes, it's only me.'

Bianca groaned, and looked like she was going to roll over, but suddenly jerked back, and sat up, her hand going to her chest.

'Scar!' She cried, as all the memory of last night came flooding back to her. It was heart breaking to watch all that pain drift across her face.

'Any news?' She asked desperately.

Sadly, I shook my head.

'No. I'm so sorry Bea.'

Bianca didn't waste a moment. Climbing out of her cot, she picked up the discard cloak from the floor.

'What time is it? How long have I been asleep?' She demanded, tying her cloak around her shoulders.

'It's only early afternoon.'

'What! You let me sleep for hours!' Bianca screamed.

I knew it should hurt, to know that Bianca was lashing out at me. But she had needed the rest, so I didn't regret my decision to let her sleep one bit.

'You were exhausted- are exhausted.'

'Scarlett's out there, under Nerissa's control and you let me sleep until the afternoon!' Bianca shouted back at me.

'Bea, you'll be no help to Scar if you can't think straight. Or even walk straight!' I argued back, but Bianca wouldn't be satisfied.

'I can't believe you. I told you to only let me rest for a few minutes, and you left it hours! Anything could have happened to her in that time!'

'There are men out looking-'

'They're all idiots, they couldn't find a haystack, let alone a needle!' Bianca spat.

'That's not fair. They're all trying. We all want Scarlett back.'

'Where's Alexander?' Bianca demanded. 'I presume he's still out looking.'

'No. Antony dragged him back and made him sleep. He's distraught.'

'You made him sleep as well! By hell Marion, do you want Scarlett to never be found? He was the only other person who would look as hard as I would, and you made him sleep!'

'Bea, please try and see-'

'NO! No I will not!' Bianca screamed at my face. 'I'm going to find my sister. Don't follow me. I can't look at you right now.'

Those last words hit my heart.

'Bea, please! I want Scarlett back, just as much as you! But you were going to drive yourself mad if you didn't rest!' I shouted at her as she marched out of her tent

'You don't get to decide what's right for me!' Bianca cried over her shoulder. 'What is right for me, is Scar back here and safe. It doesn't matter what it takes to get her back, I will do it. Losing a few hours' sleep is nothing.'

I knew she was right. But she hadn't just lost a few hours' sleep. She'd hardly slept since coming to the camp. The stress had weighed heavily on her. She was thinner than I had ever seen her, and she constantly had heavy dark bags under her eyes.

She wasn't looking after herself. And driving her body to the brink of exhaustion by looking for Scarlett certainly wasn't going to help.

'You needed to rest! I only did it because I care about you!' I told her, trying to keep up with her brutal pace.

'If you truly cared about me, you would know that the only thing that matters is getting Scar back!'

We rounded a corner and another familiar tent came into view. I was too far behind her to stop her before she ripped back the tent flap and marched in.

The startled sound of my brother waking up suddenly filled me with dread.

It was bad enough when it was only Bianca. But now, Alexander had awoken.

'Move! Scar's still missing, and this idiot thought it was a good idea to sleep it off.' Bianca told him, throwing a pair of shoes at him.

I finally caught up to her, and stopped just inside the tent, panting.

'What? Arry? Where's Scar?' Alexander asked, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

'She's still missing.' I told him in the calmest voice I could muster.

'Thanks to you.' Bianca mumbled bitterly.

At that, something snapped.

It was one thing to lash out at me for trying to help her.

It was another to blame me for Scarlett's continued disappearance.

I was not to blame. I had simply done what any person would when their friend was exhausted to the point of breaking.

I wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or what, but my anger rose to unreasonable levels.

'How dare you!' I shouted at Bianca.

'If you'd woken me up, as I asked, she might have been found by now!' Bianca yelled back.

'Oh yes, because the person who could hardly stand upright was going to find her after a few minutes' sleep. You were no use to anyone! And I truly hope you're still not thinking straight, because blaming me for trying to help you is just not acceptable Bianca. You might be a Duchess, but you do not have the right to pin this on me! I have done everything I can to help get Scarlett back!'

'No you haven't! You would have woken us!'

The anger inside me was rising with every passing second. How could she blame me for this? After everything I had done….

'Fine! Go on your search! But don't come complaining to me when you don't find anything because your hallucinating from exhaustion. Or when you miss something obvious that you would have seen if you had been given more time to rest. After everything I have done for this family, don't you dare blame me for this. Don't you dare Bianca Knox!'

My throat felt raw from screaming at her, and my heart empty. I didn't wait a moment to see if she responded. Instead I turned on my heel and marched out of the tent.

How dare she blame me for trying to help?

After everything I had done, she blamed me for not waking her up so she could drive herself to edge of her limit.

I truly was a terrible human being for caring!

And besides, there were men out looking for Scarlett.

Especially now, Lord Edward's men had joined the search.

Men who had come because I had helped Lord Edward.

Not Bianca, me.

I had gone to the palace and gotten Philip to agree to lead this army. Christopher had come here to support me, not Bianca.

And she had the nerve to say I hadn't done everything I could to help?

She wouldn't be here, so close to her father's title if it wasn't for me.

But no, why would any of this make a difference to her? She knew exactly what was right. She knew that only she herself could find Scarlett, after only five hours sleep.

Brilliant plan. Flawless.

I'd had it.

I had done everything right, and still that wasn't good enough.

She was her own free person now. She could do what she liked. And I hoped that it didn't include talking to me in the next few days, because I didn't think I would be able to speak to her in a tone that wouldn't deafen all the nearby soldiers.

I needed to calm down. I needed to distract myself.

Bianca and Alexander could do what they liked. Go and search every inch of the forest, until they collapsed under the strain.

I was going to go somewhere I could actually make a difference. And leave the searching to someone who knew what they were doing, who had a much higher chance of finding something useful.

Storming in Mr Johnson's tent made serval pairs of eyes glance my way. I mainly ignored them as I went to wash my hands so I could begin helping. There were very few men left now. Only the ones who had broken a bone, and the guard who had been knocked unconscious the night before. He had been hit on the head rather hard, and had finally woken with a tremendous headache. Mr Johnson seemed to think it was worse than it appeared, and was keeping him close by in case anything changed.

Mr Johnson set me to work in the corner of the tent, distilling lavender oil from flowers. In some small way, I was grateful I was allowed to use the mortar and pestle to grind some poor innocent flowers to pieces. I needed to take my anger out on something.

How dare she blame me for Scarlett's disappearance. Blame me for prolonging it?

They wouldn't have been able to find her in the state they had both returned in. They were practically delirious. They were both worse than useless when it came to helping.

But no, apparently it was all my fault.

Me, the person who had tried to help them have the best chance of finding her.

I ground the flowers of lavender with more and more force, gritting my teeth as I did.

I was trying to be useful. I was helping more men get back to looking for her. Men with the actual skills to track her down.

'Marion, could you fasten that bandage for Robert please?' My Johnson asked, as he quickly moved to tend to some stitches that had just come loose.

I placed down the mortar and pestle, with as much gentleness as I could muster, and moved over to where Robert was waiting. His arm was in a sling, after having fallen over some tree roots and fractured his shoulder.

He was fairly young, with dirt blonde hair but hardened features.

His bandage had fallen loose, and he looked a little embarrassed that he needed someone else to do it for him.

I practically dropped onto the stool and huffed a sigh.

'Bad day?' He asked, as I reached forward to grasp the ends of his bandage.

'You could say that, yes.' I told him.

'I'm sorry about your sister.' He said.

I ground my teeth together in frustration.

'We just want her back. And then maybe Bianca could stop acting like an idiotic twit.' I managed to utter under my breath.

Robert raised his eyebrows in shock.

'Are you alright?' He asked carefully.

'I will be. Once I can think straight again.' I told him, my mind still reeling over my fight with Bianca.

'Anything I can do?'

I pulled his bandage into a tight knot.

'Distract me.' I told him honestly. 'I need to think about something else. Anything else.'

He paused for a moment, glancing around, before his gaze fell back on me.

'My sister wants to be like you, a healer.' He admitted.

At that, I stopped.

'I'm no healer. Mr Johnson is the physician. I just help out.' I informed him.

'Well, you're doing a good job of hiding it. You were the one to stitch up William's cut.'

I shook my head.

'I needed the practice. In truth, I've never done anything like this before. I mainly fold bandages and organise bottles.'

'So, what do you do normally?' He asked.

I was quite taken aback by his question.

Not that the way he asked it, but by the fact that I truly did not know the answer.

'I…I, uh…I don't really do anything.' I admitted.

He smiled.

'You're a lady right? Don't you plan dinners, and attend parties and all that?'

I shook my head.

'I'm a lady in title. Not in lifestyle.'

'How come?'

I took a deep breath.

'My late husband gave me the title. But in truth, I'm a lowborn. I have been all my life. No money, no status. In fact, I was Duchess Howards' servant for many years.'

He seemed a little taken aback by that.

'Oh, I just assumed…'

'Assumed what?'

'Well,' He paused, 'You are related to Duchess Knox, and you know the Prince as well. And Duke Howards. I simply thought that, you were a lady of consequence with connections. But there are not many ladies that I know that would roll up their sleeves and work fixing bandages, or deal with vomit, and give men stitches. You don't really fit the model.'

I smiled a little at that. I had no desire to fit the highborn model, so if I didn't, that was just fine.

'You know; I have a brother with your name.' I said, as I tucked the end of the bandage into the sling.

'I though your brother's names were Daniel and Alexander?' He asked.

'Another brother. He's still at home; he's only eleven.'

'Three boys and one girl? No wonder you're tough.'

'Actually, three girls and five boys.' I told him.

He huffed in surprise.

'Big family.'

'We are rather.'

'So, what's little Robert like?' He asked.

'He hates the name Robert.' I began. 'We've called him Robbie his entire life. I don't think there will ever be a day when we actually call him by his given name.'

'Then, why did your parents name him Robert then, if you never call him it?'

I shrugged.

'I supposed they decided it before he was born. But he was always too small to fill the name Robert. So, he's always been a Robbie. Have you always been a Robert?'

'I suppose, yes.' He replied.

He glanced down, and noted that I had finished tying his bandage up.

'So, did I manage to distract you enough?' He asked with a smile.

I froze.

I had been distracted.

I hadn't thought about Bianca or Scarlett or Alexander or any of them in the last few minutes. And it had been…nice.

Was it bad of me to not be worried out of my mind about Scarlett? To have been able to smile for a moment while she was still missing?

Maybe Bianca was right, and that I didn't care enough.

But I had cared, and I still did. I felt awful that Scarlett was still in Nerissa's grasp. I was truly terrified for her.

But, for a moment, I had forgotten that.

'Yes, you did.' I said, pushing myself off the stool.

'You know, worrying about her won't help. You'll just get worked up, and she'll be found in the same time either way.' Robert said. 'You can't do any more.'

I glanced around, and found that the tent was nearly deserted. Only Mr Johnson, the guard, Robert and two other men remained. There was no more work to be done. Nothing else to distract me with.

'Might I trouble you for something to dull this pain?' Robert asked, wincing as he moved his arm a little. I'd never had a fractured bone, so I didn't know what the pain was like, but it did not look pleasant.

'Um…I think willow bark tea will help?' I offered, trying to remember what Mr Johnson had prescribed in the past.

I glanced over to Mr Johnson, to find him…nodding?

So, I guessed I was right.

'I'll make some up.' I told Robert, before moving over to the table that held Mr Johnson's box of herbs and potions.

Was Robert right? Worrying about Scarlett and freezing with terror wouldn't help anybody.

And I knew, deep down, that there was nothing more I could do to help. I did not have the skills or knowledge to find her.

But at least here, I could do some good. Accomplish something.

Scarlett was still constantly on my mind. And as soon as there was news, I would spring into action.

But all I could do here was wait.

Picking up the pot, I brought it outside and hooked it over the small fire that we used to boil water. I tipped the waiting bucket of water into the pot, and left it.

As I tipped some willow bark out of its small glass jar, I turned to Robert.

'Tell me about your sister. I need some more distracting. Please?'

In truth, my heart was hammering, deafening in my ears. All this panic about Scar was making my hands shake.

I felt genuinely sick, but I had to fight through it. The moment I gave into the fear; I knew I would just freeze.

Robert grinned a little, and then began to tell me about his little sister, Amy. I worked and listened, and tried to follow along to not think about my fear.

He wasn't the best storyteller in the world, but that didn't matter.

It began to work, slowly.

As he spoke about his sister passion for fixing broken things, I did find myself pleasantly distracted. She apparently would find birds with broken wings, and nurse them back to health, creating tiny makeshift braces for their wings while they healed. Robert had spent many mornings trying to help scrub bird poo off the floor before their mother could notice and scold her for letting animals inside the house.

I finished brewing his tea, and sat with him while he drank it. Robert didn't care much for the taste.

'My Husband didn't like it either.' I told him as the unhappy memory rose in my mind.

'What happened?' Robert asked kindly.

'He caught the fever just over a year ago. There was nothing anyone could do. His physician gave him Willow tree bark to help ease his suffering…and he really didn't care much for it.'

'I see why! It's foul!' Robert told me, finishing the last of the cup in one large gulp.

Setting down the cup, he grimaced.

'Is there any water? I can still taste it.'

I nodded, and stood to go and fetch him some water, when I heard something that made my heart stop.

I froze.

Robert instantly looked behind him, out of the tent, but saw nothing.

There were no men moving, no commotion to suggest anything had changed.

Yet, I knew.

'What? What is it?' He asked.

I didn't reply, but marched out of the tent, my head tilted up to the sky.

For, there above us, the birds were singing.

In tune. Together.

To anyone else, this might have just been a strange coincidence.

But I had lived with Bianca and Scarlett too long.

They were trying to tell us something.

They were shouting.

Which meant either Scarlett or Bianca was using them to communicate.

Someone was in trouble.

As quickly as I could, I ran down the path towards my tent. Throwing back the flap, it revealed that it was empty.

Daniel wasn't there.

Bianca and Alexander were out looking for Scarlett, so there was only Daniel left who would know the significance of the birdsong.

One of them was in trouble.

It didn't sound like the usual cry for help; the one Bianca had made us all memorise in case she was captured.

In fact, it was a melody. And melodies generally meant that there was a message being conveyed. I'd seen Bianca send messages to Scarlett across the village on the days she couldn't leave the house in case of being spotted. And the same bird had usually returned singing another song that Bianca understood.

The birds were singing now.

One of them was trying to get a message to the other. Was it Bianca crying out for Scarlett, or…

Had Scarlett found a way to escape and was waiting for Bianca to find her?

Could it be?

Turning away from my tent, I sprinted down the muddy track to the royal tent, not caring that my dress was covered in mud and I was still wearing my apron from Mr Johnson's tent.

I almost collided with the nearest chair as I halted just inside the tent, breathing heavily, and shaking.

Philip, Christopher and Lord Edward all turned to see what had caused all the commotion.

'Marion? Is everything alright?' Christopher asked immediately.

'The birds…'I managed to get out.

'Birds?'

'They're…singing. Bianca…or Scarlett…trying to get a message to us…' I panted.

'What?' Philip asked. 'Birds are singing?'

'Yes!' I cried. 'Scarlett might have…gotten away!'

'Marion, you're not making any sense.' Philip told me.

I tried to catch my breath so I could think of a way to explain this.

Luckily, at that moment, Daniel burst through the tent flap.

'Arry, there you are! The birds! They're all-'

'Singing, yes, that's what birds do!' Philip said, his face showing his confusion.

'No, singing in unison! It's the same melody!' Daniel told them.

Christopher frowned and pulled back the tent flap to listen. We all fell silent and let the sweet notes of the bird's filter through the air.

'So they are!' Christopher said, amazed.

'Of course they are! Do you think we make this up!' Daniel cried frustrated.

'What has this got to do with Scarlett?' Philip asked.

'Scarlett and Bianca can talk to animals. And they use birds to communicate.' Daniel explained.

Lord Edward's jaw dropped, and Philip looked like he was going to interrupt when Daniel raised his hand to stop him.

'I know it's mad, but leave questions until the end. They can talk through birds. That isn't a call for help. Arry, Alexander and I all know that sound, and it's not that. But if it's a message, that means either Bianca is trying to get hold of Scarlett, which is likely, or…'

'Scarlett's found a way to get a message to us.' Christopher completed.

Daniel nodded.

'We have no way of knowing which it is until one of them comes back.'

Then, I heard something else that made me want to fall to my knees in relief.

'Shhh!' I cried, peeling back the tent flap again.

'What is it?' Christopher asked.

'Shh!' Daniel repeated.

There it was again.

The same sound.

Relief poured through me.

I knew what it meant.

I understood.

'What is it?' Philip demanded in a whisper.

'Do you hear that?' I asked.

'Hear what?'

'The counter melody. It's a reply!' I told him with a tremor in my voice.

A reply.

Which meant…

The two sisters were in touch.

Scarlett had either found a way to start the conversation, or to reply.

Either way, she could talk to Bianca.

Scarlett was alive! She wasn't dead.

It didn't tell us much more than that, but it was a start.

Scarlett might not be safe, but at least she wasn't dead.

We had time. Bianca and Alexander had time to get to her. There was still hope.

Daniel informed the other three as to what it meant, but I stayed listening at the entrance.

She was alive. Alexander could still get his wife back. And Bianca could see her sister again.

All we could do now is wait.

And wait we did.

For another two hours.

The birds kept repeating the same messages; more of a taunt now than hope. It was in a language no one could understand. It could be dreadful news for all we knew.

But it was the only hope we had. So we clung to it.

I briefly went back to Mr Johnson's tent to inform them of what had happened, and to apologise to Robert for running off so abruptly. He told me to think nothing of it, and that if I ever needed distracting again, I knew where to find him.

There was very little else to be done in the tent, so I went back to the royal tent and waited with Philip for news.

Lord Edward and Christopher had gone back out to see if they could find Bianca to get her to translate the message.

Daniel had gone too, to find Alexander. No doubt he also knew what the birdsong meant. But, after almost no sleep, we had no idea what state of mind he would be in now. He had barely been able to stand this morning, and had only had a few hours' rest before running back out into the forest. We hoped he would be with Bianca, but that was by no means a guarantee.

Philip and I waited mainly in silence. The only time we really talked was when he asked me more about this bird talking skill Bianca and Scarlett had.

I did realise that maybe I shouldn't have blurted out one of Bianca's secrets, but it had been necessary. I avoided telling him as many details as I could, not quite knowing what Bianca would want as public knowledge. Eventually Philip stopped asking.

I wasn't in the mood for talking anyway.

The bird's just kept repeating and repeating. Mocking me for my inability to work out what it meant.

Was Scarlett safe? Had Bianca found her?

What had happened.

After two hours, I could hardly take more waiting.

However, I didn't need to.

Because at that moment, voices began to accumulate.

They got louder and louder, until Philip and I noticed, and peered out of the tent to see what was happening.

A large group of men had gathered at the end of the path, right by the entrance.

Without thinking, I pushed myself to my feet and began to rapidly make my way down the path.

Hope grew, large and brighter and truer every step I took.

Most men stood aside to let me past, however some, I pushed out of the way, jamming my elbows into their sides.

Until finally, I broke through to the front.

And almost fell to my knees.

As there before me…

Stood Scarlett.

She was back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven.**

Scarlett was back.

I didn't think I'd be able to stand.

But somehow, I pushed forwards, and stumbled passed the last few men.

Scarlet stood shivering in the mud, still wearing her night gown from the previous night.

'Let me past! Scarlett!' I cried.

She was back, she was safe!

Scarlett turned towards me, tears springing to her eyes as she saw me.

Opening my arms, I pulled Scarlett close.

She was really here. Safe, and back.

'It's alright. You're safe.' I told her, as we both dropped to the floor, her knees giving way.

'Someone get Alexander and Duchess Bianca now!' I screamed at the men. Some of them scrambled around, and ran off into the forest.

'You're safe now. Don't worry.' I whispered, pulling Scarlett tighter. Her chest was wracked with sobs, and hot tears splashed onto my dress.

'Bea.' Scarlett moaned.

'It's alright, Bea's on her away. She'll be here any moment.'

Scarlett let out a painful moan.

'Are you alright? Did Nerissa hurt you?' I asked, tears coming to my own eyes.

My relief was unimaginable.

Scarlett shook her head. Or at least I think she did. I was holding her so tight, I couldn't see, only feel her head against my shoulder.

'What happened?' I asked.

Her only response was another sob.

Something was wrong. Something else had happened.

Scarlett shivered as she continued to ask for Bianca.

'Someone get her a blanket! Please!' I cried, rubbing my hands up and down her exposed arms.

Thankfully, someone listened to me and it was only a moment before a ragged blanket covered Scarlett's shoulders.

But Scarlett continued to sob.

And it only served to make me more nervous.

There was something that was making Scarlett cry.

And it didn't seem like happy tears of relief; that she had escaped and was free.

No, something had happened.

And I was starting to hate the way she was moaning Bianca's name.

The freezing cold mud had now spread through my dress, sending shivers down my spine as the dying sun made the wind seem more bitter than it should.

'You're safe. You're safe.'

I kept repeating the words, more to myself than to Scarlett. I needed to remind myself that she was here, in my arms. Yet, for some reason my fear persisted.

She was back, she was safe. Then why did I still feel so uneasy?

The minutes passed, and Scarlett continued to sob into my shoulder. The wind whipped her flaming hair into my eyes, and made goose-bumps rise over my skin. I wasn't sure exactly how much time passed, but my relief turned to anxiety as Scarlett's mood did not improve. Her tears flowed like a river, unending and forlorn.

My knees and back were beginning to ache as I knelt in the mud with my sister in law in my arms.

But finally, I heard the sound I had been waiting for.

And my heart lightened, just a little.

As running footsteps approached, even Scarlett began to calm.

Then, the footsteps stopped.

Just for a moment.

And I lifted my head.

To see my brother Alexander freeze, staring at the figure in my arms.

His eyes were wide and hopeful, but it didn't hide the red that stained them from his tears earlier.

His chest fell in a broken sigh.

And then he remained frozen no longer.

'Scar!' He cried, charging towards us like nothing I had ever seen before.

I released Scarlett, loosening my grip, and pushing her backwards, just in time for Alexander to pull her into his arms.

'Scar! You're back.' He cried, holding her so tightly I thought she'd break. His head sunk into her shoulder as his own sobs made his shoulder's shake.

'Alex.' She moaned quietly.

I knelt up, and then pulled myself out of the mud. My dress was well and truly ruined now, but I didn't care one bit.

She was back. That was all that mattered. She was safe, and out of Nerissa's reach, and back with her husband. And judging by the way he was holding her, I didn't think he'd ever let her go again.

He'd gone out of his mind with worry ever since she had vanished. It was painfully obvious that his tears were pure relief.

But Scarlett's didn't seem to be.

She could hardly breathe for crying as my brother held her, one arm around her waist, and the other in her hair.

'You're back. Scar…I thought... I thought…I'd lost…you.' Alexander said, pulling back so he could study her face.

She blinked enough to see him, and he let loose a half sob, and pressed his lips to her forehead. He pulled back again and then lifted his hands to her face so he could wipe away her tears.

'What happened? Are you alright? Did Nerissa hurt you?' Alexander asked.

Scarlett shook her head slightly. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot and so full of pain.

Alexander pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulder, and beamed in relief.

'Thank goodness. Thank the stars, thank heaven and hell. Thank everything!' Alexander cried, pulling her back towards him.

But Scarlett pulled back a little.

'It's all my fault. My fault, my fault, MY FAULT.' She screamed, before bursting into tears

I could do nothing but stand frozen.

Something bad had happened. Truly bad. Scarlett might be safe, but this was far from over.

Alexander's smile dropped, as he asked 'What happened? What's your fault?'

Another sob wracked Scarlett's chest as her head fell forward. Every passing second made my apprehension grow.

While I was more that overjoyed that she was safe, how had she managed it?

How had she escaped?

I highly doubted that Nerissa just let her walk out the door and back through the forest.

No, something must have happened. Maybe she had been chased here, or…

Nerissa had let her go for a reason.

But that would make no sense. Not if she had kidnapped her in the first place. Why would she take Scarlett, if she was planning to let her go?

Unless….

No.

I glanced up, as the thought clattered through me.

Unless…Scarlett wasn't the target.

She hadn't wanted Scarlett.

Scarlett had been bait for the person that she really wanted.

In a panic, I searched around.

Because there was still one person missing. One person who should be here.

Alexander had come back. But he had gone out looking with someone else.

Someone else who would have known what the birdsong meant.

Where. Was. Bianca?

She hadn't come back. I'd sent men out to get them both the moment Scarlett had returned.

But she wasn't here.

Bianca would have been back here in a heartbeat if she had been told her sister was safe.

So why the hell wasn't she here?

Then, my heart almost stopped.

Scarlett had been moaning Bianca's name since the second she got back. I had thought it was just because she wanted her sister after what she had been through.

But….

No.

No. No. No!

Where the hell was Bianca?

I thought I was going to be sick.

All the fear that had vanished the moment Scarlett had arrived now returned with a vicious force, almost making my legs give way.

'Scar, what happened?' Alexander asked again.

I couldn't stand it. No. Not Bianca.

'I tried. I tried so hard to stop it!' Scarlett cried.

I was going to be sick. I could actually taste the bile in my throat.

No, she couldn't have.

Please, no.

'Where's Bianca?' I croaked out in a weak voice.

Alexander turned his head to me, puzzled. He opened his mouth to speak, but Scarlett let out another moan that interrupted him.

Taking a shaking step towards them, I crouched down so I was level with Scarlett and pleaded.

'Where is she?'

Scarlett's eyes misted over with unshed tears.

'Nerissa. She didn't want me. She wanted her.' She finally admitted.

Without realising it, I found myself shaking my head.

No, this couldn't be happening.

'What happened?' I asked, my own sob rising in my chest.

'She..She…She's dead.' Scarlett sobbed.

That was the moment.

The exact second my heart broke.

Something cleaved through me, horrid and dark and brutal.

'What? Bianca?' Alexander asked, stunned.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.

No.

No, this… this wasn't happening.

'I tried. I tried to tell her to run.' Scarlett sobbed. 'But she wouldn't.'

I was going to be sick. My head spun and warm bitter tears fell from my eyes.

I vaguely heard some footsteps behind me, but I couldn't turn around. I couldn't do anything but remain still and let whatever I was feeling consume me.

'Scarlett?' Came a voice from behind us. Male.

'Nerissa used me, as bait. She made me call the birds.' Scarlett admitted, her gaze still on the ground. 'She said she'd let one of us live.'

I turned away in time, as the bile that had been building finally was let free, and I threw up, all over the muddy ground.

Someone put their hand on my shoulder and held me upright. But my stomach convulsed so violently that I jerked forward, vile acid stinging my tongue.

And then the tears started.

Disbelief? Anger? Despair?

Everything?

I didn't know which emotion I felt more of. But it didn't matter.

None of it mattered.

'What happened Scar?' Alexander asked.

'She dragged me out of the palace. She'd blindfolded me. I…I was so scared. I thought… she was going to…that…But she made me call the birds. And then had her guard hold me with…with a knife to my throat.'

She whimpered as more tears fell.

I had stopped throwing up, and listened. Someone was still holding me upright so I didn't fall into the puddle of my own making. I didn't turn around, but saw by the clothes on his sleeve that it was Philip.

'Bianca arrived, and…Nerissa told her…that she would spare me…if she… if she… killed herself.'

No.

Please no.

Heaven above, no!

Something was clawing through my chest. Something horrid and familiar, that threatened to consume me once again.

I knew grief. It had been my constant companion for nearly a year now. And it had returned.

'Nerissa gave her an apple. She had poisoned it. I screamed at her not to, but she didn't listen! Nerissa told her it was…some kind of fae poison. That normal poison was too…unsatisfying…after all this time.'

She began sobbing again; and as if from another body, I heard my own cry, foreign to me.

'Oh, Scarlett.' Alexander murmured, his own voice shaking.

'She took it, and made her promise to get me back safely. I begged her…I begged her not to, but the guard…he…'

She didn't need to finish the sentence. We all knew what had happened.

Alexander's arms tightened around Scarlett once more, as he too began crying.

But me?

I screamed.

The pain that was consuming me was too powerful not to be let out.

Bianca.

The greatest friend I had in the world.

The person who had stood by me all these years. Knew me better than most of my own family.

She was…gone.

I was never going to see her again.

She was never going to reclaim her father's title.

Nerissa had won.

After all this time. After all this pain.

Nerissa had truly won.

Bianca was dead.

So, I screamed.

I couldn't do anything else. I couldn't breathe, could think, couldn't act.

My best friend, had been murdered.

She was gone.

It was all over.

There was nothing left.

Nothing but pain.

This was the end.

* * *

I felt nothing.

I was nothing. Not anymore.

There was none of myself left. Just a gaping void where a soul should be,

I didn't know how much time had passed. Or what had happened.

I remained kneeling in the mud, exhausted, empty, finished.

There were people moving. There were sounds.

But I couldn't comprehend any of them.

My head was filled with silence.

There was nothing.

I could do nothing. I didn't even think I could stand.

I wasn't even sad. There was no room for grief, or despair, or anything else.

Maybe it was better this way.

Did I want to feel, if all I was going to feel was pain and torment?

At least the black sparred me from that.

I couldn't even move my eyes from the spot on the ground. Because that would involve having to return to my body.

My mind was elsewhere.

I didn't know where. Or what it was even thinking about.

No, only darkness inhabited my body. And the darkness kept the pain at bay.

* * *

We were walking.

I don't remember how we got to that point, but we did.

I could barely remember walking. One foot in front of the other. Again and again and again.

Keep going. Just keep moving.

Christopher remained by my side. Philip was on my other. Antony was here too, but I couldn't see him.

I could only see Scarlett, Alexander and Daniel in front of me.

Scarlett was leading the way.

She had been here. She knew where she was.

Where we were going.

There were others. Mr Johnson, I think. And some other men.

To carry…the…if necessary.

Because she couldn't walk.

She wouldn't walk again.

We'd have to carry her…

Pain edged into the corner of my mind, and I had to fight to keep it out.

I was just walking.

I didn't know how it started, or how it was going to end. But we were walking.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Over leaves and twigs and mud. Just keep walking.

Scarlett hadn't stopped crying. I had.

I couldn't cry.

I couldn't feel anything.

Not the cold, not the wind. And not the grief. I couldn't feel the itchiness in my eyes from the tears I had shed earlier. I couldn't feel the ice cold mud seeping through my shoes. I couldn't feel my ruined dress clinging to my legs, and my vomit covered sleeves clinging to my arms.

No.

I just had to keep walking.

I didn't even feel the time go by. We had just been walking, how long didn't matter. I could have been walking for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't have noticed.

But then, I did notice.

Because, we stopped.

Scarlett had just stopped.

No.

We needed to keep going. One foot in front of the other.

I could focus on that.

Left, right…left…right…please.

But we had stopped.

And I had nothing left to focus on.

The blackness started to abate. I could feel the outside world pushing in. The pain and torment and grief all started to surround me.

Then, I heard one of the most painful sounds in the world.

The sound of a broken heart.

I glanced up, to see Scarlett running. Her red hair flew behind her, and the blanket she had been holding dropped from her shoulders.

A shape lay on the ground. I could barely see it, poking up through the leaves.

Scarlett cried again, as she picked up the shape.

And then, it lost its form, and the shape became real.

A real person.

The darkness vanished from my mind, as pain slammed into me. It ripped through me, making sure every fibre of my being felt it.

Alexander had caught up to Scarlett, but stayed back. Daniel had frozen, unable to take his eyes off the shape on the floor.

Unable to describe what pushed me forward, I moved.

One foot, then the other.

Again, and again and again.

Until I arrived.

And stood next to the shape in Scarlett's arms.

The body.

Her skin had always been pale. It was what made her dark hair stand out so much.

But, this colour did not suit her.

It was too pale. Too lifeless.

Her hair was still the same, tied back in that braid she always wore. And her brown cloak was still keeping her warm.

I knelt down, and reached for her hand…

To find it ice cold.

Her cloak was doing a horrid job. It was supposed to keep her warm. Why wasn't it keeping her warm?

Why wasn't she warm!

A scream fought its way up my throat, but I kept it down.

But the price of keeping it down, meant tears sprung to my eyes.

I laced my fingers through her hand, trying to heat her up a little. Maybe it would do her some good.

The air stung my eyes, and I closed them as I felt the first hot tear drip.

But the moment I closed my eyes.

I was no longer in the forest.

I was no longer surrounded by people.

And my hand was not linked with Bianca's.

But rather…

James.

I was sat next to him, in his bed, his own chest not moving.

No part of him was moving.

He too had been cold. It had been a relief after the fever, and how hot it had made him.

I wasn't in a forest, but in Thorne manor.

But the pain was the same.

Forcing my eyes open was no relief.

The moment I did, I was greeted by the sight of Bianca's lifeless corpse.

And I just couldn't take it.

I just couldn't.

I burst into tears.

Bianca was dead.

She was here, dead.

I had lost her, just like I had lost James.

I was never going to speak to her again. Never going to laugh with her.

She was never going to reclaim her father's title. Her birth right.

And I…

I was never going to apologise to her.

The last words I had spoken to her were in anger. I had shouted and screamed at her, just as she had shouted and screamed at me.

She had died, thinking I hated her.

How could I live with that?

I treasured her. I always would. But she had died, thinking I was angry at her. And she had been angry at me.

We were never going to make it right.

I was never going to get the chance to apologise.

She had thought she was alone.

She had been alone. Only Nerissa had been there.

At least with James, I'd had time to make peace with it. I had told him I loved him.

But I never got to tell Bianca. No one had told her they loved her as she died.

She had been alone.

Scarlett's cries joined mine, as we both held her between us.

'Bea. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.' Scarlett was repeating again and again.

I just couldn't find the words.

So I simply held her, sat on the forest floor. Nerissa hadn't even buried her. Just left her on the floor for the crows.

Pain ripped through me from all sides. More tears, more sobs.

Tears for all that should have been. For the Duchess she would have become. For the war we would have won. For the life she should have lived.

All of that, gone. That possibility, that future. It had been shattered.

Twenty-five years old. She had only been twenty-five years old. And her last five and a half years had been spent living in terror of this exact event.

Too young. She'd had her entire life ahead.

She was going to do so much. A duchess, with real power to help people.

And this was how it had ended, with Nerissa dumping her body in the forest.

I just couldn't stop crying.

Endless tears seemed to spring from my eyes.

I was crying for anger, for grief, for despair, for the injustice of it all.

I was crying for her.

For my best friend. My greatest ally. My sister.

And now, just the newest loss of my life.

I glanced up, and had to wipe away my tears to see Daniel crying into Alexander's shoulder, my two brothers holding each other. Philip, Christopher and Antony all stood at a distance, solemnly giving us space. But I did notice silver lining Antony's eyes. Behind them, stood the men who had come with the...the stretcher. They had all removed their hats in respect.

I turned back to Scarlett who was still clinging to her sister, but was starting to stem the flow of her tears.

And I knew, that she was as broken by this as I was.

There was nothing left for us now, only pain and grief.

So, I reached forward, and held out my hand to Scarlett. She grasped it, and held Bianca's other hand in hers.

All three of us together, just as we had walked into the camp. Hand in hand.

I held Scarlett's hand as tightly as she held mine.

And then, we knew it was time.

I looked up, and nodded to Philip. I didn't remain looking to see him give the order to the men to bring over the stretcher.

'You first.' Scarlett said to me, her eyes not leaving Bianca.

I nodded, and glanced down.

'I don't…I don't know what to say.' I admitted.

Scarlett only waited.

'I guess… I just want to say…that I'm not mad. I know I said some things…some horrid things, and I'm never going to be able to make that right. But I'm not mad at you…whatever you think. Bea, I'm going to miss you. You…you were the best…friend…I ever had. And I will be forever honoured…to have called you…my sister.'

My heart cleaved in two as I lifted her stone cold hand to my lips and kissed it. My tears fell, and splashed onto her pale cold hand. Then, I lowered it back down.

'You.'

It was all I could say to Scarlett.

Scarlett nodded.

'I have no words. It…We've…we've had no time, Bea. You were all I had left. My big sister, who used to help me…steal cakes from the kitchens. Who…who always knew what to do. And now…I don't know what…I'm going to do.'

She took a deep breath.

'I hope… you see… them again. Mother, and Father. Tell them… I miss them. And I-…I… miss you too. '

Scarlett leaned forward.

'I love you.' She whispered.

And then pressed her lips to Bianca's forehead.

A moment passed.

Then two.

But then, we all felt it.

Once more, just like last time.

A tremor passed through the air.

Pushing out and out, moving faster and faster.

Going through all of us.

I immediately glanced up to Alexander and Daniel, whose eyes were as wide as my own.

We knew that tremor.

We had all felt it before.

Magic.

That was the tremor of magic.

It had been released the day the curse had been broken.

Scarlett had sat up, and all the others were glancing around, trying desperately to work out if they had been the only ones to feel it.

I didn't dare hope.

Could it be…

Scarlett had said it had been Fae poison.

And the fae dealt in magic.

Magic that could be undone.

The very air in my lungs vibrated with the tremor.

Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.

Moving further and further away.

Just like last time.

Hope bloomed in my chest.

Was is possible?

Could it be?

I stared at Bianca, still lying motionless on the forest floor.

Scarlett glanced to me, and then to her sister.

I held my breath as we waited.

The hand within my own began to grow warm.

No longer was it stone cold and lifeless.

Scarlett felt it too. Her tears stopped, and her expression changed.

Warmer and warmer.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Then….

A breath.

The previously still and silent chest moved as air was sucked in.

And Bianca's eyes flew open.

Alive.

Alive and shocked.

She panted, trying to get breath back into her body.

I froze.

Alive.

She was alive!

Not dead. Alive.

Scarlett didn't waste a moment.

'BEA!' She screamed, launching herself at her sister. Her arms scrambled as she pulled her close.

An amazed gasp flew around the men behind me. But I didn't care.

All my attention was focused on the live person before me.

She was alive! Too many emotions flew through me, that more tears sprung to my eyes.

I snapped out of my daze and threw myself at the two sisters.

Bianca grunted slightly as I wrapped my arms around both of them.

Pure joy flooded through me.

All the anger and grief and pain evaporated instantly.

And pure happiness entered.

She was alive!

'What?' Bianca managed to ask, confused.

She could speak! She was truly back!

'You're alive! You're alive!' Scarlett kept repeating.

'I know that!' Bianca replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'How?' Scarlett asked.

She pulled back, and so did I.

Bianca looked like she was trying to form an answer, when my hand shot out and punched her in the arm.

'OW!' She cried.

'Don't. You. Ever!' I ground out. 'Do. That. Again.'

My eyes had misted over once again, and I swore I was never going to be able to see again after the amount of crying I had done today.

Bianca smiled. Her eyes were so full of life, and the colour had come back to her cheeks.

'I'll try not to.' She replied.

'No! Trying not to, is different than not doing!' I told her, beaming.

Bianca tried her best to look apologetic, but I knew that deep down, she was too thrilled to be anything but smiling. As was I.

'How?' She asked, patting herself, as if to make sure she was not in a dream. 'Nerissa said it would be impossible to break it.'

'I don't know.' I said, and turned to Scarlett. 'It was Scar.'

Then, she seemed to remember something.

Turning to Scarlett, her eyes went wide.

'Are you alright? You got back to the camp? She didn't hurt you?' She asked desperately.

Scarlett nodded, beaming.

'Yes. He took me back immediately, and didn't touch me.'

Bianca glanced down a little.

'And what about-'

'I'm fine.' Scarlett interrupted. Then after a moment, she added, 'We are fine.'

Then, her hand drifted down to rest on her stomach.

I glanced up at just the right time to see Alexander freeze.

'She didn't harm it?' Bianca asked, in a slightly quieter voice. She clearly hadn't seen Alexander's reaction.

Scarlett shook her head, beaming.

'We're fine? What does that mean?' Alexander asked, in a stunned voice. 'We?'

Daniel was biting his lip, smiling, and took a step back.

Bianca raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'You didn't tell him?'

Scarlett scowled at her.

'When have I had time! We were a little occupied!'

'Scar? What do you mean 'we'?' Alexander asked again.

Scarlett rolled her eyes at her sister.

'You've gone and ruined it now.' She said, her smile returning to her face.

'Don't blame me! Nerissa ruined it. For me first!' Bianca replied.

Scarlett stuck her tongue out at her sister, and then released her. She turned to face Alexander, who had gone as white as a sheet.

Looking around, I noticed that Philip, Christopher and Antony had conveniently started talking amongst themselves, and so had the other men.

'I don't want to go. I feel the moment I look away, I'll wake up and this will be a dream.'

Bianca pulled her sister close.

'It's real. It is truly real.' She said. 'Go and tell your news to Alexander.'

Even though it was painfully obvious that the secret was out, Scarlett still held out her hand to Alexander, and pulled him away from the group, to somewhere where they would be out of sight.

I turned back to Bianca.

And then I launched myself at her.

'I just can't believe you're alright!' I cried. Her arms circled around me.

'I can't believe it either.' She said.

I pulled back.

'I'm sorry. For everything I said before. I didn't mean any of it.' I told her.

I knew I had to apologise. I had been given a second chance with her, and I was not going to waste a single second. After all I had just gone through, I had to make it right.

'Why are you sorry? I'm the one who should apologise.' Bianca said.

'You only wanted to find Scar.'

'And I still should have listened to you. I mean, look where not listening got me.' She said, just as she managed to pick a leaf out of her hair.

I smiled.

'I just can't believe your back.'

'Neither can I.'

'What happened? How on earth did all of this come about?' I asked.

However, we were interrupted by a cry of joy, coming from the direction that Alexander and Scarlett had disappeared in.

'Can you believe that?' Bianca asked. 'You don't seem very surprised.'

I sat amazed.

'That's what you can't believe! You just returned from the dead! But no, I'm not surprised. I worked it out yesterday.'

'And you didn't tell me!'

'I think it's her choice when to tell people. I only learned by accident.'

She sighed.

'Just think, we'll be truly related now. Our little niece.'

I stopped.

'How do you know it's a girl?' I asked.

Bianca paused for a moment.

'Niece or nephew.'

I narrowed my eyes at her.

'How do you know it's a girl? How do you know about it at all?'

Bianca scowled a little.

'Nerissa gave it away.'

'How did Nerissa know?'

'Duchess Bianca, good to have you back!' Came Philip's voice from over my shoulder.

We both paused to look up to him. He offered his hand to me, and pulled me up out of the mud. Antony, who was next to him, pulled Bianca up.

'Well, I knew you were special. I didn't think you'd be able to rise from the dead though.' Antony joked.

'I have many hidden talents.' Bianca replied, still beaming.

'I'll bet.' Antony said, with a tone of voice which implied…something.

But before she could think of a reply, Antony was pushed aside.

As Daniel strode past him, and embraced Bianca.

She grunted in surprise.

I was stunned too, I didn't think I'd ever seen Daniel and Bianca actually touch before. But, they were both in the same family, so I didn't really know why it was such a shock.

'Please don't do that again.' Daniel begged her.

'Nice to know I was missed.' Bianca joked, but it fell a little flat.

'Too soon.' I mouthed to her.

'Just a little warning next time. So we all know that you're definitely coming back. But do that trick as many times as you want to.' Daniel teased.

'Are you alright?' Someone asked me quietly.

I turned to find Christopher there.

'I am now. I don't think I've ever been this thrilled. Or relieved.' I admitted.

And it was true.

I finally felt like I could breathe, something I hadn't been able to do easily since the moment Scarlett had vanished.

'I'm so glad.' Christopher said. 'For her, and for you.'

'Thank you. I just can't believe how close we came to losing her. I'm still shaking.'

Christopher only nodded.

'What? What is it?' I asked. There was clearly something else that was bothering him.

He tried to smile.

'It's nothing. I'm truly happy she is alright.'

'What is it?' I asked again.

'Nothing.'

I simply waited.

Then, at last, he sighed.

'It was all just a little too familiar, that's all.' He admitted. 'And I am really happy that she's back with us. It's only…you were lucky. You got your friend back, and I didn't.'

I had to step back from him at that.

'I'm lucky? To not lose my best friend? I lost James too!'

'Yes, I know that.' Christopher said, immediately realising his mistake. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I think…because we didn't lose her today, I just make me realise how much I do miss him. How he didn't get to come back.'

My heart instantly sunk.

It was true. I had been given a gift Christopher hadn't. My friend had survived. Christopher had never gotten the chance to feel the relief that currently filled me. He'd only had the grief and pain.

'I just miss him. I miss the talks we had, the way he always managed to fill whichever room he walked into. And I am glad Bianca hasn't suffered his fate, it just makes his passing seem all the more unfair. And that's not her fault, it's just the way it is.' He explained.

I sympathised. I really did. I knew how much James's loss had affected the both of us.

'I understand. But today is not a day of sadness. I cannot think past this miracle that has happened. I simply want to celebrate.' I told him, 'I shed many tears for James. It's time I celebrated something.'

The corner of Christopher's mouth twisted upwards.

A soft whimper sounded from the gathering behind us, making us both look.

Bianca's head had fallen into Daniel shoulder, and she was clinging to him tightly.

'Bea?' I asked, instantly running back towards her.

'I'm alright. I'm alright.' She said, her voice shaking.

Daniel pulled back, to let me approach her. She was shaking; vulnerable and hurt.

'Bianca? What's the matter?' I asked.

'I'm fine.' She cried. 'I truly am! I don't know why…'

More tears burst from her eyes.

I pulled her into my arms as her cries made my heart break. She had survived, why was she still hurt?

'I think…I'm finally realising…that I'm alive. I escaped. And it all could have been gone so easily.' She explained.

'You're here! You're safe.'

'I know, I know,' Bianca wept. 'But I wasn't. I could have died Arry! I could have…'

She drew in a long shaky breath, and I knew that this was mostly relief, and not sadness. The understanding calmed me a little. She would get past this. She just needed some time to come to terms with it.

As did we all.

'She said I'd never come back. That there was no way to break it.' Bianca sobbed.

'There was. You're here, and you're safe, and we are never going to let anything like this happen to you again.' I told her. Despite the fact I thought I had no tears left to cry, somehow they sprung to my eyes again.

I simply held Bianca for a while, just assuring her that it was real.

At one point, Scarlett and Alexander re-joined the group, both with overjoyed grins on their faces. Scarlett immediately made her way over to her sister, and took my place. I stepped away to join Alexander and Daniel. Bianca didn't need me. This was relief, not sadness. And she needed her sister. And I needed to talk to my brother.

'So?' I asked, fully aware of what his news was going to be.

Alexander beamed.

'So what?'

'What is your news?'

He shrugged.

'Nothing too important.'

Daniel elbowed him in the side before I got the chance too.

'Ow!'

'Tell us!' Daniel demanded. 'Or I will disown you as my brother!'

'Wrong time to do that, if you want to be an uncle.' Alexander informed him.

Daniel beamed. As did I.

It wasn't exactly a surprise at this point, but it was still nice to have it announced.

'So, it's true?' I asked. 'You and Scarlett…'

'Six months' time. Our…child!' Alexander declared, testing the word on his tongue. His excitement made it obvious that this was the first time he'd been able to say that.

I pulled my brother into a hug, and whispered, 'Congratulations. That is…the best news.'

'Better than coming back from the dead? I can't quite believe that this announcement isn't the most important thing to happen today! Not that I mind much.'

A sudden force barrelled into us, as Daniel too joined our embrace.

'Don't leave me out!' He teased.

We all laughed a little, but then I pulled back.

'Oh no.' I said.

'What? What is it?' Alexander asked apprehensively.

'You told us first. Imagine how Clara's going to react when she finds out that she didn't know first…' I explained.

Daniel huffed a laugh, but Alexander went a little red from embarrassment.

'We'll…sort that out…when that happens.'

'You better prepare yourself for a punching.' Daniel snickered. 'Clara is going to go mad!'

'Could you restrain her, before we tell her?' Alexander pleaded with Daniel.

'Only if you let me watch the little one! Someone needs to teach it how to misbehave, and it's certainly not going to learn that from either you or Scarlett!'

Alexander groaned.

'Just think.' I interrupted, 'This poor little one is going to have you and Bianca as it's aunt and uncle. I think it's going to pick up on things without you trying to teach it.'

Alexander only groaned louder at that.

I made a conscious effort to say 'it' and not 'she'. Despite Bianca's protest earlier, I knew that somehow Nerissa had told her it was a girl.

My little niece!

Alexander was going to be a father!

I still couldn't believe it. These past few days had just been…simply unbelievable.

Fae spells, a new life, Bianca's escape!

Everything had turned out wonderfully. She was alive, and safe. Scarlett had returned, and was expecting a beautiful little girl.

I didn't know this much joy could exist! And relief.

And I knew it wouldn't last. We were in the middle of a war. Nerissa was still at large, and we hadn't won yet. There was still much to do.

But, for that brief moment.

I let myself be happy. Let myself finally feel joy and I let go of the pain that had consumed me.

For that moment.

Life was good.

It was truly good.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve.**

The camp was buzzing with news.

Everywhere, men were talking, amazed and quite in awe.

It took only a matter of seconds for the news of Duchess Bianca's death and consequent resurrection to spread to every person in the camp. It wasn't exactly something you heard every day.

We had returned to find a crowd of men, all anxious to get a glimpse of the miracle woman. We could barely squeeze past. And then, someone started shouting.

And applauding.

Like it had been some magic trick that was put on for show. Not that she had almost died.

But, there was something almost…celestial about it.

They looked up to us, with wonder in their eyes. Bianca in particular, and Scarlett as well. They had done the impossible. The two of them were almost not human. Angelic, capable of anything.

The noise became almost unbearable, but sounds were so celebratory. Every single member of the crowd was rejoicing, relieved that the Duchess was still here.

I stood next to her, the shining star of the moment. And the smile on my face only grew wider and wider.

As did hers.

For the first time since she arrived here, Bianca was confident and joyful. Her crying spell had long since passed, and now, she only seemed euphoric.

She had done the impossible. She deserved to be happy, and after all she had been through, she should enjoy the attention and relief.

This was what she deserved. To walk through the camp with her head held high. The men cheering her arrival was just an added advantage.

Bianca was finally taking her place.

Not actually in the palace, but as a leader. She had been here for weeks, but had not led them. She'd moved around, keeping her head down, and more often than not, hiding in the royal tent or her own tent. But after so long living as an outlaw, it had taken her a while to be comfortable around so many people again.

And here she was. Shining, radiant; the Duchess we all knew she could be.

Not just a leader.

But simply Bianca, as we all knew her.

I didn't think I'd ever been prouder in my life, as those few minutes were walked through the camp to thunderous applause, at her side.

But, as with everything, it had to come to an end, and reality dawned on us.

Despite the fact that Bianca had done the impossible, there was still the matter of the siege on the palace.

Nerissa still hadn't surrendered, and Bianca hadn't quite yet taken her rightful place. This was still the reason we were all there.

There was still a war to win.

We made it to the Royal tent, but Bianca was asked to step aside for a moment. Mr Johnson, who had witnessed the moment the spell had been broken; just wanted to examine Bianca, to make sure that she wasn't going to suffer from any ill effects from the poison. She had just died, after all.

So, Bianca was taken to Mr Johnson's tent, and the rest of us waited in the Royal tent.

Lord Edward had greeted us. He still had yet to formally meet Bianca, but that happy moment would have to wait. He too had heard the rumours, and had asked what exactly had happened.

I tried to explain the best I could, only relaying what I had seen. There was a moment where I turned to Scarlett for the details, but it then became apparent that Lord Edward and Scarlett had not been introduced either. He had arrived while she had been missing.

He had told her that he had seen her before, when he had attended Nerissa's court briefly, and at Ella's ball. But they had never spoken.

By the time the two of them had become acquainted, Bianca had finished with Mr Johnson, and had returned to us.

Introductions were made, and then Philip asked the one thing we had all been dying to hear.

'What exactly happened?'

None of us knew, only Scarlett and Bianca. And Scarlett had done her best to explain, but she had been so distraught before that she'd only gotten half of the story out.

Bianca told us it was a long one and she didn't want to repeat it to everyone individually, so we all found a seat. Or at least, tried to; Antony and Daniel had to perch on the edge of the table as there were no available seats. There were nine of us after all.

Firstly, Bianca turned to Scarlett.

'Let's start with the abduction.' She said.

Scar nodded. Alexander reached forward and grasped her hand, supporting and comforting her. It would not be an easy story to tell.

Scarlett spoke of how she had gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, needing to relieve herself. She didn't think, so just walked out of the tent with no cloak, no weapon, nothing. She'd done it many times before, and she thought she would be back inside in a matter of minutes, so didn't think anything of it.

She described how she finished her business, and then was about to turn back when she saw a light through the trees. Someone with a torch. She had been too busy trying to make out who it could be when someone had grabbed her from behind and placed something over her mouth to make her faint. She hadn't stood a chance against them.

Scar took a deep breath.

The next thing she knew; she had awoken in the palace dungeon. She didn't know how she had made it past the wall, or how they had gotten her out of the camp without anyone knowing.

And Nerissa had been there. She'd taunted Scarlett about this war, about how they were going to lose, and that they were powerless to stop her.

'I'd never been so scared in my life. She spoke with such…confidence. Like she knew exactly how it was all going to play out.' Scarlett told us.

Then, Scar described how Nerissa had simply left her in that dungeon for hours. Nerissa claimed that she didn't need anything out of Scarlett, other than her presence, and that she was going to let us worry ourselves about you for a little while.

'She told me, that if I tried to escape, that she would have the guards…they would...would…hurt me. Until I…lost the baby.'

White hot anger flared through me the moment she said that. Nerissa had threatened to kill an unborn child! Her own stepdaughter's unborn child. I knew we were fighting a monster, but I didn't think she was capable of such evil. Alexander clearly felt the same, as his jaw tightened to the point where the skin turned white from effort. Even now, the thought that Nerissa could have harmed my niece made me want to barrel through those stone walls myself and throttle her.

After a deep breath, Scarlett continued.

'So, I waited. I don't know how Nerissa knew about the baby, but I didn't want to push her. Hours went by. And then Nerissa returned and they escorted me to a window. She told me a message to get to Bianca. She knew about the birds as well. I told Bianca when and where to meet us. No sooner did I finished relaying the message, Nerissa and her guards blindfolded me and dragged me along. I couldn't see anything until she ripped off the blindfold and we were at the place I had told Bea we would be. I hoped…I wished you wouldn't listen. That you would get away. But then…you arrived.'

Scarlett sat back in her chair, and gestured for Bianca to continue the story. Alexander lifted his arm and pulled his wife in close. It was the first time he had heard what had happened, and I knew that he would be furious. But he would also need to know that she was alright. I knew my brother well enough to guess what his reaction was going to be.

Bianca lent forward.

'I heard Scarlett's cry through the birds. I'd been scouring the forest with no luck for hours. And as much as I hated to admit it, Marion was right, and I was exhausted and useless.'

Everyone turned to look at me, and I could only shrug. I had been right.

'I couldn't think past Scarlett. There were moments I could hardly stand. But, I heard her message, and ran to the clearing.' Bianca continued.

She took a deep breath and ran her hands over her face.

'I wasn't thinking straight. I just saw you there, and…and I panicked. I didn't think, I didn't have a plan. I just needed to get you back.' Bianca admitted, staring at her sister.

'I know. I know Bea.' Scarlett said, leaning forward to grasp her sister's hand.

Bianca took a moment, and then turned back to us.

'Nerissa was there. And Scarlett was tied up and held by a guard with a knife to her throat. I didn't know what to do. So, Nerissa offered her terms. She didn't want Scarlett, she wanted me. And more specifically, she wanted me out of the way.'

'She offered me a trade. My life, for Scarlett's. I would have done it in a heartbeat, but then Nerissa told us that it wasn't a fair trade. Two lives for one. But she was willing to let them both my sister and her…child go, if I gave myself up to her.'

I wasn't sure if anyone else caught it, but Scarlett glared at her sister just before she said 'child'. I presumed that Nerissa didn't use the word 'child' but rather 'daughter'. But in front of everyone was not the time to be breaking that news to Alexander.

'Pardon me for asking, but how on earth did Nerissa know about Scarlett's condition? Or your gifts, or any of it?' Antony asked. 'Am I the only one who think that doesn't make sense?'

Bianca shrugged.

'I truly don't know.'

'Actually, I might.' Came a voice from the corner of the room.

We all turned to face Lord Edward.

'How?' Christopher asked.

'We came across it last year, when Annette and I were trying to find a way to break a promise to a faerie. We needed to find his true name, and we found something that would help us.'

'What? What was it?' I asked.

'Nerissa possesses something called 'The mirror of truth.' It's been lost for generations, since the reign of King Aufidius. It's magic, and it answers any question posed to it.'

We all fell into a stunned silence.

'Nerissa has a magic mirror that tells her anything she wishes to know?' Bianca asked, amazed. 'Well, that explains a lot.'

'How do you know about this mirror?' Scarlett asked. 'I lived in that palace for years, and I never heard anything about a mirror.'

Lord Edward sighed.

'We discovered it after we raided the Faerie's lodgings for a clue to his name. It was scribbled on a piece of paper. My late father in law snuck into the palace and used it, and that's how we found out his name and ended our curse. And Lady Marion family's as well.' He informed us, raising his hand in our direction. 'I'm willing to bet that is how Nerissa knows so much. She keeps it hidden in a secret room. But it comes with a steep price, it killed my father in law. He returned to us in a coffin. Annette has never forgiven herself for letting her father go.'

'Wait, it killed someone?' Antony asked incredulously.

Lord Edward nodded.

'The mirror demands a steep price for every question asked. It takes…a piece of your soul.'

'What?' Bianca and Scarlett both exclaimed in unison.

'That's what was written on the note we found. It said for every question, a piece of soul was taken in payment, making the asker colder, and more unfeeling, until they were almost…unhuman.'

Scarlett fell back in her seat, but Bianca stood.

'Stars above…All this time. Everything she's ever done…that's the reason behind it.' She muttered.

My own mind spun.

If Nerissa had used this mirror, and it had taken more and more of her soul away, then that would explain everything.

If she had truly wanted power, humanity would have only gotten in her way. She had been able to even think about killing Bianca because she had no heart or compassion left.

Bianca had been right when she had called her a stone cold bitch. Only now did we know how true the 'Stone cold' part was.

Who knew how many times she had used the mirror, how much of her was left? She clearly used it to find out about Scarlett's condition, and her gifts with animals. And possibly to work out how to kidnap Scarlett in the first place.

Bianca began to pace.

'Then why hasn't it killed her? If it killed your father in law, why did she live?'

Lord Edward shrugged.

'I don't know. From what I gather, it's painful. My father in law…he wasn't exactly of the strongest health. He had struggled…and was of a weak constitution. The guard who delivered him back said that the pain had been too much and his heart had given out. But I suppose, if Nerissa is prepared for it, and is healthy, there's no reason to think it would kill her.'

Bianca was pacing now, trying to wrap her head around what she had just learnt.

We all knew Nerissa had done unforgivable things in the past, but now, everything had an explanation. The murder of her husband, her banishment of her stepdaughter, the kidnapping of Scarlett, the murder of those three men, and the attempted murder of Bianca.

She had no soul. She had felt compelled to do those evil things.

I hardly knew what to think.

'As interesting as this is, could we possibly finish the story of what in hell happened to Bianca regarding the 'rising from the dead' part.' Daniel asked.

He was right, we hadn't got that far yet.

Bianca glanced around, and took everyone's silence as agreement that they felt the same. So, she sighed, and picked up her story.

'Where was I?' She asked.

'The fact Nerissa was going to kill you, or Scarlett. Then there was something about a magic mirror.' Daniel told her.

Sitting back down, Bianca continued.

'Of course, I wouldn't let Scar suffer for me. The news about the baby only made it more certain. So, I made Nerissa swear that Scarlett would get back to the camp, safely. Then, she could do whatever she liked with me.'

Even though I knew exactly how it would turn out, a lump still rose in my throat to hear how my friend had sacrificed herself for her sister.

She had been so selfless. After fighting for so long, she was willing to give it up in a heartbeat so that her sister would live.

Scarlett had turned away, I suspected so no one could see the tears in her eyes. Reliving that moment must have been so difficult for her.

'The guard who held Scar blindfolded her. And the other one held my arm so I wouldn't run. She didn't even let us say goodbye, as the guard dragged Scarlett away. But then she made him come back, and said it would be more satisfying for Scarlett to watch.'

Scarlett let out a sound resembling a whimper, and Alexander squeezed her hand. I couldn't imagine it, having to watch as your sister died before your eyes. As Bea died before your eyes.

'Nerissa promised to deliver Scarlett back if I did exactly as she said. She produced a red apple, and handed it to me. She told us it was poisoned; fae poison. And that there was no chance I would recover from it. Then, she leaned in and whispered so only I could hear. She said that the only way to revive me was…'

Bianca stopped. And then scoffed.

'The way to break the spell would be…true love.' She said finally.

Everyone seemed to pause for a moment at that.

'And now I know about the mirror; the next thing she said makes a lot more sense.' She continued.

'And that was?' I asked.

'She said, I have no true love. I'm never going to wed, so there would be no way to break it. I thought that she meant that I hadn't married already, and my time seemed to be up, so of course I wouldn't marry. But now I knew about the mirror…it seems like…'

She didn't need to finish that sentence.

'However, Nerissa is a horrid bitch who knows nothing about love, and didn't count on the fact that I have plenty of love in my life, without marriage. Turns out, that true love comes in many forms, and Nerissa was a fool to let the person who would eventually break the spell out of her grasp.' She said, gesturing to Scar. 'But I clearly didn't know this at the time, and had no choice but to eat the apple she had placed in my hand. I knew Nerissa was beaming triumphantly at me as I took that bite, but I kept my eyes on Scarlett. She was the last thing I saw. After that, everything just went black, until I awoke to see you seven staring down at me like I'd grown another head or something. And I think you all know the rest of it from there.'

Having finished her story, she sat back and waited for someone to react.

But we all simply took a moment to absorb all she had said.

Bianca had gone to her death to save her sister. And Scarlett had been forced to watch.

I couldn't imagine anything more horrible.

'Where did Nerissa go? How did she get outside the walls in the first place?' Philip asked, no doubt trying to find a military advantage from this. At least he could think straight, I had too many emotions flowing through me.

We truly had come so close to losing her. I had almost lost yet another person who meant so much to me. That darkness had almost consumed me, as it had for the past year.

But she was alive. She had escaped. We hadn't lost her.

I hadn't lost her.

Bianca shrugged, and looked to Scarlett.

'I don't know. The guard blindfolded me and dragged me away, and the next thing I saw was the camp. That's where Marion found me.' Scar explained. 'And I couldn't see the way she took me to get out of the palace.'

'Could you try and think back? Can you remember anything?' Philip asked desperately.

'No. I was a little occupied with the fact I had just summoned my sister to her death. I had other things to think about than trying to remember the route back!' Scarlett shouted.

Philip instantly stopped.

Scarlett blushed a little.

'Sorry, I don't know what came over me.' She apologised.

Philip shook his head.

'No, it's my fault. I was insensitive.'

Alexander pulled Scarlett close and kissed her temple. It looked a little awkward over the chair, but I think Scarlett needed it at that moment.

'She can get in and out somehow. The siege isn't working, because she can get out. She won't surrender.' Philip said, 'So, the question is, how?'

There was another beat of silence, and then Lord Edward sighed.

'Actually, once again, I think I may have the answer to that.' He said, standing from his chair.

Lord Edward reached in to his breast pocket, and produced a crumpled piece of paper.

'When Mr Merthin went to use the mirror, we discovered a secret passage into the palace. That's how he got in.'

Then, Lord Edward turned to me.

'Lady Marion, I must apologise. I know yesterday I told you that I was here to try and repay my family's debt to you. But really, I'm here to offer this information to you all. As soon as I heard that you were besieging the palace, I knew that this would help you take her down. Or at least, make the siege end quicker.'

So, that was the reason. As much as I had wanted to believe it, I knew people didn't just bring their men to join a potential war because I had found something in a book once. And he had tried to say something yesterday, before we were interrupted by Christopher.

But, quite honestly, I was a little relieved. I was not the reason those men were endangering themselves. I couldn't take any more guilt.

'In the forest, there's a tunnel that goes right under the wall, straight into the heart of Nerissa's hidden chamber. I'm going to guess that's how she got out.' Lord Edward continued, lying the piece of paper flat on the table. It showed a map, with a tunnel leading right to a room marked **_Mirror_**.

We all lent in to look at it.

There was a way out.

If Nerissa could get out, then…

We could get in.

We could get inside the palace walls. It would all be over. Nerissa had almost no men, and all her strength came from the fact no one could get close to her.

But now we could.

'Why didn't you tell us this sooner?' Philip asked, his expression jubilant.

'Everyone was a little busy. I only arrived this morning, and you were all in the middle of a man-hunt!' Lord Edward replied. 'And then, there was a dead Duchess, followed by an alive Duchess. When have I had the time?'

This was it.

We could end this! Once and for all, we could arrest Nerissa.

There was a way to get inside the walls without sending men to their deaths.

This could all be over!

Christopher, Philip, Antony, Edward and Bianca immediately began making plans as to how exactly they could use this tunnel. How many men to send, and when to attack.

But my eye was drawn to one single word that was drawn in the corner of the page.

 ** _Weston._**

I'd heard that name before.

I'd seen it.

It had been the word that had split a line from my own name to another name I didn't know.

 ** _Jack Hale._**

Lady Annette had given me that scrap of paper a year ago, that held all our names that they had discovered when they raided the faerie's home.

He had known about Alexander and Scarlett.

And he had connected my name to James's and to another man's called Jack.

Jack, who I had no recollection of.

I couldn't remember him. He was no closer to me than a nameless face in a crowd. I could have passed him a million times, and not been any the wiser.

And if I couldn't remember him, maybe he couldn't remember me. He hadn't come looking for me in the past year and a half. Maybe we hadn't been that close…

But, my mind couldn't help but wander.

This Weston, he was somehow connected to all of this. To this palace, to the faerie, to this Jack.

But how?

'Marion? Marion!'

I snapped out of my thoughts.

Philip was there, smiling at me.

'I think you need to go and get some rest. You look like you're going to pass out any moment.'

I was about to respond that I wasn't tired, when a yawn rose in my throat, and spilled out.

In truth, I was exhausted.

It had been a very trying day.

The sun was almost setting in the distance. To think, only this morning, Lord Edward had arrived, and Scarlett had still been missing. Since then, we'd gotten her back, lost Bianca and had her rise from the dead.

It had possibly been one of the longest days of my life.

'In fact, I think we could all get some rest. We all have to be up early tomorrow, and then hopefully, this will all be finished.'

I started.

'Up early?' I asked.

'Yes, an hour before sunrise.' Alexander said quietly, 'Were you not listening?'

I shook my head. My thoughts had been otherwise occupied.

'They're going to storm the palace tomorrow, just before sunrise. Nerissa still thinks Bianca is dead, so she'll expect us to give up and leave tomorrow at the latest, so we don't have much time to act.' Alexander told me, in a whispered tone.

Maybe my exhaustion ran deeper than I thought, as I hadn't heard any of that.

'They?'

'The men. I'm going, with Daniel.'

'What!' I exclaimed.

No, my brothers couldn't be about to step foot inside the palace, in a battle.

No.

'We'll be fine Arry. They're not going to expect us, and they have almost no men. It will be an easy victory.' Alexander said, as everyone else behind him started to make their way out of the tent, going to catch what little sleep they could before they had to awaken in the morning.

Something about it still didn't sit right.

'And what do we do? Just wait?'

Alexander shrugged.

'I'm presuming you wait here with Bianca and Scarlett. And when we send you the signal that it's safe to enter, you join us.'

'Bianca's not going?'

'No, it's too dangerous. If Nerissa knows she's alive, she will be the first on the list of people to kill. She needs to stay safe, we can't risk losing her again.'

I knew Bianca wouldn't like this. She wanted to be a true leader, not a figure head who hides behind the army.

But I felt better, knowing she would be out of harm's way.

Tomorrow it was.

After that, who knew. We would either emerge victorious, or slink back in defeat.

Lord Edward bid us all good night, and went to go and inform his men of the plan. Alexander and Scarlett rose from their chairs to go back to their tent. Scarlett hadn't exactly had the easiest night last night, so we no doubt looking forward to a good night's sleep. And they'd hardly had a moment to themselves since the announcement. I suspected that they had an awful lot to discuss now.

As soon as they started leaving, everyone seemed to. I stood, and made my way over to Bianca.

'Are you alright?' I asked.

She shrugged.

'I honestly don't know. I think I just need to sleep. But there's little chance of that if we're storming the palace in a few hours.'

Daniel made his way over to us, and asked.

'Bea, do you want us to walk you back?' he asked. We'd done it several times before.

But, to my amazement, she shook her head.

'I'm…I'm going to stay here for a bit. Just for a minute.' She said, suspiciously glancing away from us.

The others had all but gone, except one person.

One person remained, trying his best to look interested in the map of the palace that he had already studied a hundred times.

'Oh, alright.' Daniel replied, glancing in the direction of the only other person in the room.

Antony tried really hard to look like he wasn't listening.

I stood shocked for a moment.

Antony…and Bianca?

Antony had been interested in her since the moment she arrived. And he had spent most of the last three weeks flirting with her, even though she had never reciprocated.

So, how on earth…

'Come on Arry, we really should try and get some sleep.' Daniel said suggestively, trying to get me away.

'One minute.' I told him, 'I'll catch you up.'

Daniel didn't need telling twice, and I only raised my eyebrow at Bianca.

'I'll tell you later.' Bianca whispered to me, and gestured for me to go.

I wasn't exactly sure what to do. Did I leave them alone? Was Bianca even thinking straight? She had just been through a considerable trauma, and maybe I should go so she didn't make the mistake I thought she was making.

But, at the same time, it was her decision. It was not my place to tell her what she did and didn't do.

She wanted to be left alone with Antony.

So, I stepped back. It was not my decision to make.

'Goodnight Antony.' I almost sang, as I turned away and made my way out of the tent. I knew without looking that Bea was scowling at me.

I hardly knew what to think as I left the tent.

Should I have intervened? Should I have done something.

But, Bianca's words from earlier echoed in her head.

She had said that Nerissa had told her that she was never going to marry. That she didn't have a true love. I knew that marriage did not exactly mean true love, but Nerissa didn't seem to care for that definition.

So, if Nerissa had gotten that information from her 'magic mirror' then maybe it was true. Bea was never going to marry.

But quite honestly, I could never imagine Bianca marrying anyone. She was far too independent and headstrong to allow any man to have any sort of power over her. Not to mention, that with her title, it would allow whoever she took as her husband a tremendous amount of power. And I knew Bianca would hate every moment of knowing that whoever she picked, she would have to trust with her station.

No, Bianca wasn't exactly the marrying kind.

Which I suppose meant…that she was free to do whatever she wanted.

There was no point waiting for marriage with her. Especially after she'd just died and returned from the dead. She probably had bigger issues to deal with than that.

Antony must be…a distraction. Something to take her mind off the horrific day she'd had. Not that he'd mind very much, I didn't think.

I just hadn't been able to imagine it. Maybe there had been something there that I had missed. Some gesture, some…spark between them.

Daniel and I walked slowly back to our tent, which happened to be within sight of Bianca's tent. So by the time we arrived, I managed to catch sight of a certain two people disappearing through Bianca's tent flap.

I had to shake my head away from staring after them.

Bianca was entitled to do whatever she wanted to do, it was not my place to question or dictate what she did with who.

She'd had a traumatic day; it was only fair she needed something to distract her from it.

'What do you think of that then?' Daniel asked, as he disappeared behind our changing screen.

'I don't know what to think honestly.' I told him. 'It's up to Bea. I just didn't think there was…anything there. I know Antony's been sweet on her since we arrived, but I didn't think-'

'What? Bianca's been dancing around Antony just as much as he has been dancing around her!' Daniel interrupted.

I stood amazed.

'I never saw that!'

'Oh yes! Have you not seen how she keeps glancing over at him during meetings? Or how they sit next to each other when eating?'

'I thought that was just because she didn't have anyone else to sit with! I only ever saw them sit together when I was working late with Mr Johnson, and she had no one to talk to!'

'Come on Arry, you must be blind!' Daniel teased, emerging from behind the screen in his nightclothes.

I threw my arms up in defeat, and picked up my own nightclothes before disappearing to get changed. Clearly I had missed a lot.

But, I had spent most of my days in Mr Johnson's tent, so I missed all the secret looks in the meetings. And every time I had seen them together, I had simply chalked it up to chance.

I had never thought…

Clearly I was blind.

I changed quickly, ran to my bed and pulled my blanket up tightly around me, in an attempt to banish the cold.

'Are you really going with the men to storm the palace tomorrow?' I asked my brother.

'Yes.' Daniel replied, blowing out our lantern.

'I know there's no convincing you otherwise, but please be careful.' I said. 'After today, I've done all the grieving I can cope with.'

'Don't worry Arry. We'll be fine. Nerissa won't know what's about to hit her. And then it will all be over.' He told me.

'Somehow, that doesn't entirely out me at ease.'

'It will be fine. And then it will be over.' Daniel repeated. 'Now, we really need to sleep, or Alexander will be dragging me out of bed by my hair in the morning.'

I scoffed.

'I hardly doubt Alexander's going to be up before us. Scar and he, I imagine will have a lot to talk about tonight.'

'Yes, you may be right there.'

'I still can't quite believe it.'

'And I don't feel old enough to be an uncle!'

I chuckled a little at that.

'If you don't feel old enough to be an uncle, imagine how Gwen and Robbie are going to feel! Gwen is ten; next week!'

'It will be strange, having a baby around again. I've only just gotten used to the fact that Gwen and Robbie are old enough to do things for themselves. And now we've got to go back to carrying this little one around and feed, bathe and clean up after.'

'You make it sound like you will be the one doing all of that! I think Alexander and Scarlett will be taking the majority of those duties.'

'You know that at some point, they'll make me do something to help out, when they need some sleep after nights of screaming.' Daniel complained.

'You need some sleep now! Don't worry about looking after the baby in the future. Worry about getting into the palace tomorrow.' I told him.

In the dark, I saw Daniel throw his arms up in response, and then turn over.

'I suppose it's been quite a day. Night Arry.'

'Night Daniel.' I said into the dark.

I tried to sleep.

I truly tried.

But I just couldn't get my mind to stop turning.

Scarlett's reappearance. Bianca's death. The revelations about Nerissa and the fact that we were going to storm the palace in a matter of hours.

Thought after thought flew through my head.

Hours must have passed, but sleep still evaded me.

The end was almost here.

This time tomorrow, we would either be victorious and staying in the palace, or retreat in defeat.

We were storming the palace.

The battle was here.

This was it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen.**

The waiting was the worst part.

Endless waiting.

Bianca hated it too. And Scarlett.

Bianca couldn't stop pacing. Back and forth she sauntered, trying to think of anything else but what we were waiting for.

I was terrified for my brothers. They had gone into the palace.

Scarlett was no doubt terrified for Alexander.

And Bianca…she was scared for everyone. My brother had gone, as had Philip, Antony, Christopher, and nearly all the other men.

It had been only around half an hour since they had gone. It was still fairly dark outside.

But we had no news.

We just had to wait.

The cold morning air was only making me more and more anxious. And the lack of sleep wasn't helping my mood either.

I just wanted to know that they were all safe. That we had won.

Or even that we had lost. I simply wanted to know. I hated this feeling of helplessness, of staying behind, useless.

Was half an hour too long? Should they have already returned by now? Or was it completely unreasonable to think they could accomplish so much in such a short time? I had never been in this situation before, so I didn't really know what was normal.

Why didn't we know anything yet?

More seconds ticked by, only serving to make our anxiousness grow.

I had to keep repeating the same words to myself, over and over again.

They were fine. They were safe. We were going to win.

Nerissa didn't know that we knew about the tunnel. She wouldn't be expecting it. They were outnumbered and unprepared.

I could hardly stand it, just waiting for news, either good or bad. I couldn't imagine how women in the past also waited for news after a battle. They wouldn't have been as confident as us that we were going to win. They had to wait while their brothers, husbands and sons went into an even battle, more likely a bloodier one than the one currently being engaged in.

And to make matters worse, the guilt had returned.

I had been the one to start this. I had gone to the palace and asked for this war to be started in the first place.

If anyone died today; If a family lost a loved one, that was on me. I had caused this to happen.

I would be my fault.

More minutes passed. The silence was deafening.

I wanted screaming, I wanted noise. Just so I had some idea of what was going on.

Had they walked right into a trap? If Nerissa had this 'magic mirror' maybe she knew we were coming, and had set up a trap to make sure she could get away. What if we had misjudged this entire situation, and this was all going to go terribly wrong.

Bianca just kept pacing. It was starting to drive me insane. But she was probably as nervous, if not more so, than I was. This was her life that those men were fighting for. Her palace, her title, her freedom.

It was probably making her mad that she couldn't be up there with them. That she had been forced to stay behind and wait, like me.

But we weren't trained soldiers. We didn't know what we were doing. Bianca knew a little about fighting, but that as mainly self-taught from surviving in the forest for so long. And we'd all been too busy to learn.

Scarlett looked paler than she normally did. Her fingers tapped the top of her knee, again and again in a repeating pattern. Something to focus on. Something to stop her thinking about what could be happening to her husband at this very moment.

Left behind. Useless. Unable to do anything. That's what we were.

And by hell, I hated it.

I truly did.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait much longer for news.

A bugle sounded over the tops of the trees, separating us from the palace.

All three of us jumped to our feet and ran to the tent entrance, peering out eagerly.

The bugle sounded again.

A familiar two notes.

The same again.

And I finally felt my fear leave me.

As those were the notes of victory. Of our trumpeter's signalling to the rest of us.

We were in.

We had secured the palace.

And…it was finally over.

I let out a long sigh of relief, while Scarlett managed to make a sound sort of resembling a whimper.

But Bianca…

She sank to her knees.

It was over.

Finally!

After all this time, it was over.

We had won. She was the Duchess. Her rightful place. She had earned it back.

'They did it!' Scarlett whispered, more to herself than to either of us.

'It's…It's really…' Bianca managed to get out, but I saw tears spring to her eyes, preventing her from finishing the sentence.

So, I knelt down next to her, and took her hand in my own.

'It's real. We won.' I told her, beaming.

In truth, I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

Nerissa was defeated! That evil bitch finally had been put in her place. And Bianca was the Duchess, as she should have been since the moment her father passed.

Bianca let out a broken whimper, and started sobbing. But her lips were turned upward in a smile.

After so long, I could only imagine what she must have been going through. To have it all back. To have been deprived for so long, it must have been the greatest feeling in the world to come home at last.

'We should go.' Scarlett said, pulling her sister off her knees. 'And kneeling is no activity for a Duchess!'

Bianca chuckled a little.

'I thought I decided what the Duchess did now, not you.' She teased.

'I don't care. I'm your sister, so you have to listen to me.' Scarlett teased right back, but keeping hold of her hand.

'And me! I have demands that must be met as well!' I added.

Bianca rolled her eyes at us.

'I regret becoming Duchess already, and it's been about ten seconds.'

Then, all three of us burst into laughter.

It was hard to stop. After so long of being worried and anxious, we needed to release it somehow. And at least this was a positive way to do it. It wasn't tears of grief.

But once we did stop, Bianca faced the entrance to the tent.

'So, I guess we should go and officially strip Nerissa of her title.' She sighed.

'Am I allowed to punch her as you do that?' Scarlett asked.

'Seconded.' I added.

Bianca shrugged.

'I don't think that's particularly looked well upon.'

'She tried to kill you, I think a little punching is in order.' I argued. Scarlett nodded her head in agreement.

Bianca was at a loss for words, and instead just rolled her eyes at us, and took a step towards the tent entrance.

'Should I change? Find a highborn dress?' Bianca asked frantically turning back to us. 'Be more…regal?'

'Did Bianca Knox just voluntarily agree to wear a dress. Someone mark that day that the impossible happened!' Scarlett cried.

'Oh yes, and yesterday when she actually came back from the dead, that wasn't the day the impossible happened!' I said.

Bianca just glared at both of us.

'Just go as you are. You don't need fancy clothes to impress Nerissa. This is you, this is how you defeated her.' I told her.

Bianca turned back, but didn't move forward.

'What's the matter?' Scarlett asked.

'It's just…What if it's not…the same? In my mind, home is still home. But after all this time, what if she changed it.' Bea sighed.

'Then we change it back. We erase everything Nerissa ever did to it and we make it home again.' Scarlett informed her.

Bianca shrugged. Her expression showed us that she was still worried.

So, I stepped forward and took her hand.

'It's time to go home.' I told her. 'Your grace.'

She smirked.

'Don't you start.'

'I don't know what you're talking about, your grace.' I teased.

'Marion!'

'You called, your grace?'

'Oh, I give up.' Scarlett exclaimed, moving towards the door. 'I'm going home. I suggest you follow.'

And with that, Scarlett stormed out of the tent, and Bianca and I had no choice but to follow. There were a few men left who followed us, as instructed. With Nerissa defeated, there was no need to defend the camp anymore.

Step after step, we approached the secret tunnel that Lord Edward had only revealed a few hours ago. They had cleared the rocks and fallen leaves that concealed the trapdoor to the tunnel. Now, it stood open to the world.

'After you.' Scarlett said, gesturing to Bianca.

Bianca sighed, before scrambling over the edge and dropping down a few feet into the tunnel.

Scarlett then gestured for me to follow her, but I held back and allowed her to go first. But when Scarlett shook I head, I knew something was up.

'Are you alright?' I asked.

'I'll be fine. It's just, the last time I went through there…' Scar told me.

The last time she had been through there, she had been blindfolded, and had a knife held to her throat Was it any surprise that she was nervous to go back through it?

'Oh.' I said.

'Go on. I'll be right behind you.' She said.

I crouched down and edged myself to the trapdoor and dropped down. The tunnel was just tall enough for someone to stand in, but covered in cobwebs and dust. I guessed that cleanliness wasn't Nerissa's top priority for this tunnel. The sound behind me made it obvious that Scarlett had dropped into the tunnel as well. It was almost pitch black, save for one single torch lit halfway down the passage. Bianca was standing only steps ahead of me, staring down the long corridor.

'After all this time, this was her secret.' She muttered under breath.

There were a few more muffled sounds of men dropping into the tunnel behind us, but I didn't turn around. I was far too fascinated by the long and stretching passage before us.

I had never seen the palace. But I had become very familiar with its walls. And I had seen plans and sketches of the interior so many times I might as well have seen it. But knowing that the place I had been imagining for weeks on end was only at the end of this corridor made me halt a moment.

Bianca released a long sigh, and then began to walk.

However, I was held back.

By Scarlett's hand reaching out and grasping mine tightly.

I looked around to see her pale and terrified face. No doubt the memories of being her only a day or so before were affecting her.

'It's alright.' I whispered to her. 'You're not a prisoner. You got out, and we're all safe.'

She nodded slightly, and the two of us trailed after Bianca.

The dust filled our mouths and noses, causing more than one person behind us to sneeze. It just felt so…empty. And disused. Nerissa, I supposed, had never really needed to use it much. As Duchess, she could go in and out of the front gate without issue, and there would be no need for sneaking around. It was very possible that it had only been used recently because of the siege. And by Mr Merthin, a year ago. And I strongly suspected that whoever this Weston person was, that they had used it as well. Why else would the map have their name on?

Step by step, we travelled down the corridor. It was much longer than I had thought. It snaked around, and involved stairs and bends. But then, it did have to go quite a way to even reach the palace wall, and then to get into the palace itself. Bianca at least, had the foresight to pick up the torch that had been left alight, and set fire to some of the others. The men behind us picked them up, so we could just about see where we were heading.

After a good few minutes walking, we finally came to an old, rotting door. The path had turned so many times; I had completely lost track of where we were in the palace.

'The palace.' Bianca mumbled. There was a light shining through the cracks in the ancient wood

'Ready?' I asked,

'I suppose I have to be.' Bianca muttered.

Scarlett didn't add anything. Her eyes were wide, making me think that she was still terrified of being in this tunnel.

Bianca took a deep breath, and pushed open the door. We followed directly behind her.

Bianca had stopped in the middle of the room, and was looking up by the time Scarlett and I emerged from the staircase.

This room, was nothing like I had in mind.

The walls were tall, and surprisingly, there were no windows in sight. Just many lit candles and torches.

But one of the more surprising things was that the room was bare. For one of the richest women in the land, this was not what I was expecting.

Complete emptiness. Not one single piece of furniture.

The room wasn't large. Only big enough to hold half a dozen people when they stood shoulder to shoulder. And two doors. One we all came through, and the other, which I presumed led into the Palace.

I almost walked straight to the other door, before I noticed that both Bianca and Scarlett were stood staring upwards.

So, I stopped and looked up.

There, fixed to the walk several meters of the ground, stood the most perfect looking mirror I had ever seen.

It was utterly immaculate. Not a single scratch or cleaning mark or speck of dust. Just a pure silver reflection.

'Is that-' I asked, but then stopped.

Both of them nodded without taking their eyes off it.

I had to bite my lip to stop myself from finishing the question I had spoken. Lord Edward had warned us not to ask anything in the presence of the mirror. It takes any question posed and answers it, and I had no strong desire to lose a piece of my soul for such a simple and obvious question.

This was the object that had caused us so much grief. It had led to Bianca's banishment, and her death. Scarlett and Bianca's secret gift had been exposed as well because of this thing. And it had killed Lady Annette's father.

Having lost my own father nearly two years ago, I knew how horrible it was to have to endure. And to know that something was responsible must have made it all the worse. It had been bad enough knowing that he had suffered due to his illness. But to know that there was blame…that must have been so very hard.

'We should go. Before someone says something they regret.' Bianca muttered, still unable to take her eyes off it.

There was much I wanted to ask her, about her plans for this mirror, now it was in her possession, But I had to swallow them down. They could be asked outside the room, where it would be safe.

'Your Grace, follow me.' Came a voice from just outside the room. All three of us finally looked around to see a guard stood on the other side of the door to the palace, peering in. He was beckoning us out. 'They are waiting for you in the Main hall.'

Without another word, we all filed out of the room. None of us had any desire to stay another moment in the presence of that…power. And besides, I was now madly curious to actually see the rest of the palace. Bianca and Scarlett had seen every inch of the place we had grown up, but none of us had ever seen the place they called home.

The adjacent room was immense.

Not that I was particularly surprised.

According to the map that Lord Edward had provided, it said that the only other entrance to the secret room was through Nerissa's bedchamber, a place I imagined few would be permitted. It also happened to be the Duchess's rooms, one of the largest in the palace.

This room could have easily been the size of our entire cottage. It had a bed, dressers, wardrobes, sofa's, a fireplace, a desk, and all manner of other objects. It was more like a suite than a room. It reminded me very strongly of Ella's room at her palace. I'd only ever been there a few times, for her wedding and Jonathan's christening.

But Ella's room had felt warm and homely. This just felt immense. Nerissa clearly didn't have a taste for comforting and friendly. Everything was placed to show off her wealth and power. The entire room just gave off a sense of…unwelcomeness. Not what you would want from a bed chamber. This was a place she slept in, and nothing more.

'I hate this room.' Scarlett mumbled under her breath.

'It was nice before she arrived. Don't you remember mother reading us stories in that bed?' Bianca said.

Scarlett shook her head.

'I was only five when she passed away. I can't really remember much about her.' Scarlett admitted.

I stayed silent. The two of them hardly ever spoke about their mother. I knew she had died a long time ago from a mystery illness. Bianca had been ten and Scarlett five when it had happened. So really, the only mother that Scarlett had ever known had been Nerissa. They had both spoken of their father in great detail. He had loved both of his daughters with all his heart, but had failed them in only one respect, and that was by bringing Nerissa into their lives. Nerissa was no substitute for Duchess Elizabeth, as far as I could tell.

'It used to be pale blue. Not all these intricate tapestries.' Bianca mused. 'And the bed was comfortable, not this decorated monstrosity.'

She slowly made her way over to the door, but suddenly stopped beside a chair.

'Bea?' Scarlett asked.

Then, Bianca's leg was thrust out, and she kicked the unsuspecting chair with an immense amount of force. It flew across half the room and clattered to a halt by falling on its side.

We both stood in shock.

'Sorry.' Bianca shrugged. 'I've always hated that thing. And since I now I own everything that is in here…'

A large smile had broken out across her face.

'In that case.' Scarlett added, moving slowly to the wall. 'Allow me to help.'

Her arm then shot out and her hand closed around the nearest dark and depressing tapestry. Then, with a sharp tug, it pulled away from the wall, and fell onto the floor, revealing an old, light blue painted wall.

Bianca and I simply stared at the wall.

'Well, it seems she didn't change it after all. Just tried to hide it from the light.' I noted.

'More likely there wouldn't be a paint that was as expensive as she would have liked it to be.' Bianca grumbled.

'Can we destroy this room?' Scarlett asked, excitedly.

'Not really. We have to live here at some point in the future. And I'd prefer it not to be in ruins.' Bianca replied.

'And we better go. That poor guard is waiting for us to follow him!' I cried, pushing Bianca out of the door, and gesturing for Scarlett to follow.

They both beamed as we emerged into a hallway. Clearly it was familiar to both of them.

'That was my father's room.' Bianca told me as we passed the door next to Nerissa's room. The guard was now quite a way ahead of us, but it didn't seem to matter. Bianca and Scarlett clearly knew their way around the palace without help. Even if it had been a while for Bianca.

Everything about the palace seemed to be large. The hallways and doors were all far bigger than they practically needed to be. The exposed stonework made it feel older than it likely was, but expressed a sense of history about the place. It was clear that many great men and women had walked these halls over the years. And with Bianca and Scarlett by my side, I was certain I was in the presence of more great women. Ones who would change the world.

We continued down many hallways, encountering more men who were waiting outside the hall. Bianca and Scarlett had pointed out various room and features of the palace. I was already lost and we had been walking for a matter of minutes.

Finally, we reached a grand set of doors. Men were already gathering in the space outside it.

'Alex!' Scarlett cried, spotting my brother in the midst of the crowd. His head lifted as he in turn spotted us.

He was unharmed. If a little tired. As was Daniel.

It had gone smoothly, and no one had been injured.

Scarlett ran to her husband, and I ran to Daniel.

'Are you alright?'

'Yes! Honestly Arry, why didn't you believe me when I said we'd be fine.' Daniel replied. 'It's almost like you don't trust me.'

'I was worried. I'm allowed to be worried!' I replied.

'We walked through the passage and it was practically all over by the time we got there. Philip, Christopher and Antony had arrested Nerissa, but she demanded to be taken to the main hall and she also said she needed to dress. She was not going to make her final stand in a nightdress. And it took some time for all the guards to surrender. She also knows nothing about Bianca. I can't wait to see look on her face when Bianca strides in, alive and well. Philip told her that Bea was still dead.'

His gaze lifted over my shoulder and he raised his eyebrows.

'But I believe someone is missing her…special friend.' He whispered.

I quickly glanced over my shoulder to see Bianca searching the group of men. No doubt, looking for a certain man she had spent the night with.

Daniel began to walk to her, and I followed.

'He's in there, holding Nerissa under arrest.' Daniel informed her.

'He? Who's he?' Bianca asked, almost offended.

Daniel simply rolled his eyes at her.

'How does it feel then to be back?' He asked.

Bianca glanced around, and I saw out of the corner of my eye that Alexander and Scarlett were making their way over to us.

'It's certainly strange.' She mused. 'And it's changed a lot.'

'Something we can rectify.' Scarlett added as they joined our group. 'Immediately.'

Bianca sighed.

'Well, there's something we have to do first.' She muttered.

We all fell into silence and I turned to the door.

She was just the other side.

The woman who had made all of this happen.

The woman I had only ever heard about, but hated with all my heart.

Nerissa.

She was only a matter of feet away.

Defeated, subdued, never to hurt anyone again.

I was madly curious. After hearing stories and rumour about her, I wanted to know for myself what she was like. I had such a detailed picture in my head of who she was, and I wondered if it would compare to the actual woman herself.

'Are you ready?' Alexander asked.

'No.' Bianca replied honestly. 'But I don't think I'll ever be.'

'Do we have to do this?' Scarlett asked. 'I mean, could we just tell Philip and the others that we have no desire to see her again. I know I certainly don't.'

I couldn't blame her for it. The last time she had seen Nerissa, she had made her watch as her own sister was killed before her while a knife was held at her throat. I couldn't begin to imagine what the two of them must have been going through.

'If you don't want to see her, I'll gladly go in your place. I've been aching to punch the bitch all morning.' Daniel replied, trying to lift the mood a little.

'And I'll do much worse than punch her for what she did yesterday.' Alexander added in a low voice. Scarlett reached out her hand ad wrapped hers around his. My brother was on edge. Even a blind man could see it. He was about to meet the woman who had threatened to kill his wife and child only yesterday. No doubt he wanted to tear Nerissa limb from limb right now.

'There will be no punching anyone. No matter how much she deserves it.' Bianca reasoned. 'This is our victory, because we won. We are better than her. We will not sink to her level, and give into our instincts.'

'Spoken like a true Duchess.' I noted, making Bianca smile.

'So, how are we going to do this?' Daniel asked.

'I think I might have an idea.' Scarlett said, a small grin lighting up her face.

She explained her plan to us, and we all agreed readily. Bianca could just walk in and the whole business would be done with, but after all we had suffered yesterday, we wanted the satisfaction of seeing Nerissa crumble before us.

'Shall we?' Alexander asked, holding his arm out for his wife.

'Just one more minute.' Bianca pleaded, and then walked a little way away from our group. She was trying so hard to keep everything under control, but it was plainly obvious that she was struggling. Her hands were shaking and her face had lost colour.

Scarlett was about to say something, but I held up my hand and stopped her.

'I'll go.' I volunteered, and moved over to where Bianca was stood with her back to us.

'Are you alright?' I asked my friend.

'I'll be fine. I am fine. We won, so I should be fine, shouldn't I?' She said, not turning around to face me.

'No, you shouldn't be. I wouldn't be.' I told her honestly.

'This is so…stupid. We won, and I'm still terrified of her.'

'She did kill you yesterday. I would be more worried if you weren't terrified. It shows you still have some brains left in that thick skull of yours.' I said, moving around so I could face her.

'But we won! I'm here. I'm back home! After all this time, this is all mine again, and it still feels like it did the day my father died when she claimed everything, chased me out with her guards, and I had nothing. Just being here makes me feel like I have nothing'

'You don't have nothing. All those years in the forest, you had us. You had me. I know we're no substitute for this palace, but you didn't have nothing Bea. You had friends, and your sister, and a family. You had love while she only had objects, which I would argue is a much better life, regardless of how incredible this palace is. And now, after all of this, you have both. Riches and love. So it's time to go and claim it back.'

'I know that. I know all of that. But in my head, she's still above me. She is still my stepmother, after all of this. My father placed her in a position of power, and I still think of her… as…'

'I know.' I replied.

'And I know, logically, she can't hurt me. That they're all in there and won't let anything happen. But after yesterday, I just…'

There was nothing I could say to that. Even I was still scared of her. And she hadn't directly hurt me. So I simply reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder, rubbing soothingly.

'The sooner it's done, the sooner she is locked away forever and we never have to think about her ever again.' I said.

Bianca didn't react for a minute, but then she nodded slowly.

'Let's get this over with.' She muttered in a low voice.

I turned and nodded to Scarlett who was ready to go. Her face was stern as she squared her shoulders and then started to make her way to the door with Alexander by her side. Daniel followed them, and I was about to move too, when Bianca caught my wrist.

'Wait.' She said. 'Go in with me. Please.'

It was the broken whimper of her 'please' that made my heart want to break for her. This was supposed to be a day of victory, but facing Nerissa was making all of our moods turn sour.

We all wanted answers. Answers we were not going to get any other way, but by enduring her unpleasant company. And Bea wanted answers more than most.

So, I nodded, and we followed behind Daniel, but was sure to keep out of sight as they opened the door to the main hall and strode in. The door shut and Bianca and I pressed our ears to the wood to hear what was happening on the other side.

'Ah, Scarlett. You've arrived.'

That voice was Philip. Of that, I was certain.

A rather long and uncomfortable silence then filled the room, as I guessed that Nerissa and Scarlett had set eyes on each other.

'Have you met your stepdaughter's new husband?' Philip asked, in a proper, but a little condescending, voice.

'The lowborn nobody.' Came an unfamiliar voice, stern and full of malice.

So that was what she sounded like…

'Heard a lot about you too, Nerissa.' Alexander replied. I could tell he was trying to irritate her as much as possible, but he was clearly too angry to keep his voice under control.

She didn't bother to reply. Or at least not with anything I could hear.

A tense silence once again filled the room.

'You're not quite what I was expecting.' I heard Daniel say, 'For a thieving murderer.'

Still no response.

'How could you?' Came Scarlett's voice, weak and small compared to the others.

'What?' Nerissa snapped.

'How could you do that to Bea? What did she ever do to you?'

I saw Bianca take in a large breath, as she listened intently. Maybe this was the moment that she finally learned why Nerissa had been so cruel and heartless to her.

But only silence answered Scarlett's question.

'Why did you do it?' Scarlett demanded in a louder voice.

Still nothing.

'WHY?'

'I don't have to explain myself to you.' Came the cold and calculated voice of Duchess Nerissa.

'Yes you do! You will have to explain yourself in front of the King and Queen if you want any sort of mercy. You killed my sister, you better tell me the hell why!' Scarlett cried.

A beat of silence.

Then another.

'Oh dear Scarlett, is the pregnancy stress getting to you? You're hysterical, and being unreasonable.' Nerissa sneered.

'I am not being unreasonable! You killed Bianca and made me watch! WHY?' Scarlett cried.

Nerissa only waited in silence, and offered no answer.

I glanced down and saw that Bianca's hands had curled into fists.

There was then a little muttering, that sounded very much like Alexander trying his best to calm Scarlett down a bit.

It was incredible. In only a few words, Nerissa had managed to undermine and upset Scarlett. No wonder Scarlett had wanted to run away so badly. It was a miracle she had survived so long as a child here!

Now, more so than ever, I hated Nerissa. She attacked Scarlett and Bianca. Not in as many words, but in the power to undermine them and make them doubt themselves. I couldn't imagine anything as debilitating as doubting yourself. To think that your own thoughts weren't valid and had worth. My family had been far from perfect, but we had always let everyone speak their own mind, and never given them cause to doubt their own thoughts.

Bianca had only had to endure a few months of it, but Scarlett had years of mistreatment by Nerissa. That wouldn't all just disappear. I was on the other side of the door and I wasn't sure I could last after mere seconds of it. And it wasn't even directed at me!

How had they endured it? It was worse than a thousand curses.

'Nerissa, it would be in your best interest to explain yourself to Scarlett.' Came the calm and collected voice of Philip.

There was no response, even to the crown prince.

Bianca's fist had turned white from the effort of clenching, so I reached forward to try and untangle her fingers from her palm. As soon as I touched her, Bianca whipped her hand away, but then seemed to notice it was only me, and immediately let go.

'Is there anything you wish to say before we take you into custody, and restore the rightful owner to this palace?' Christopher's voice seemed to echo around the room.

There was a feminine scoff.

'The rightful owner? The pregnant weakling, who has never done anything of value in her life? You think I am a terrible Duchess, but wait until the first failed harvest, when Scarlett here can't do what needs to be done because it would hurt her 'precious people.' You will be begging for the old days back, where someone who knew how to use their power wielded it.'

It sounded more like a snarl than a speech. So full of malice and hate.

Scarlett made a sound that almost sounded like she was going to argue back, but she was cut short by something.

A moment.

Then another.

'Scarlett will not be the new Duchess. She has a family to care for now, and has chosen to stay with them.' Philip answered.

A loud cackle.

'Ha! So after all of this, you give it up! You truly are the weakest waste of space imaginable.'

No response.

'I demand to know who is the new Duke. If they will be taking my place, I demand to know who will be living in MY palace, and sleeping in MY bed!' Nerissa insisted. 'Is it one of you?'

We couldn't see through the wall, but we guessed she was gesturing to Christopher and Antony.

'No actually, thought I wouldn't mind living in this palace. Some very nice grounds you've got here. I wonder if the new owner will let me stay. Maybe if I ask particularly nicely….'

Antony's teasing tone was obvious to us all. I glanced sideways and almost thought I saw…

A slight blush on Bianca's cheek.

I stopped.

They had spent the night together, so I could only imagine what Antony was implying about wanting to stay here, and asking particularly nicely.

It was something I didn't really want to think about.

'The new owner is outside, waiting.' Scarlett said, in what sounded like the strongest voice she could muster after being hurt by Nerissa.

There were a few more tense seconds of silence, as Nerissa clearly just waited for everyone to do her bidding and show us to her.

'Fine, have it your way.' Philip said, drained. Even he was beginning to lose his control.

'Come in.' Scarlett shouted, a quite a lot louder than we were expecting, indicating that she had turned towards the door.

Bianca and I took a step back from the door.

'You can do this.' I told her, again.

Bianca nodded.

'Yes I can.' She told more herself than me.

And with that, she placed her hand on the doorknob, and pushed the heavy door open.

The door-hinges groaned under the effort as it swung open. Bianca pushed and push, until they had both been moved back enough to step through.

Without hesitating a second, she marched forward, into the awaiting room. And I had no choice but to follow.

A loud gasp filled the room as my friend confidently strode into the centre. I remained only a step behind her.

The Main hall was immense. I supposed it was keeping in line with the rest of the Palace. However, I didn't have time to ogle at the splendour around me.

Because my gaze was fixed on the woman who still remained sitting on the throne like chair before us.

Nerissa was not what I expected her to be.

After all that Bianca and Scarlett had said, and knowing what she had done, I expected an ageing, power-mad woman, who could command a room with terror.

Not this.

Not this beauty before me.

I didn't know why I was so surprised. Bea and Scar had both said many times how their father had been taken in by a pretty face, and been made a fool of. But somehow, my mind and that fact never managed to connect.

Nerissa was stunning.

Actually stunning.

Her posture was perfect; intimidating and as straight as a tree. Long golden brown hair fell from her skull in long luscious waves. Every inch of her skin was clear. Not one scar or freckle or imperfection.

And she was beautiful. And much younger than I thought she would be. I knew that her husband had been quite a few years older than her, but I never expected her to look only a few years older than Bianca herself. She couldn't have been more than five or six years older than Bea, which would make her in her early thirties.

I almost stopped with shock at my first sight of her.

And then, I really did stop, as I finally saw her eyes.

Cold, ice blue and grey and lifeless.

There was nothing behind them. No spark of life or joy, or even emotion.

Just nothing.

All that beauty, all that intelligence… and nothing to feel.

I couldn't imagine a worse waste of a life.

Nerissa didn't even glance my way.

As her entire face had drained of colour, as her eyes remained firmly fixed on the woman walking in front of me, as alive as she had been two days ago.

Bianca didn't smile in triumph, or gloat it over Nerissa.

No, the look she gave her was one of complete and utter hate.

Hate for all she had done. For what she had done to her personally, and what she had done to her family and friends and people.

'Nerissa, can't say it's a pleasure to see you again.' Bianca managed to say.

'You're alive.' Nerissa ground out through clenched teeth. Her fingers had also wrapped around the weak wooden armrests of her chair, and she was gripping it so tightly it was groaning under the stress she was placing it under.

'Yes, I am. Despite your best efforts yesterday.'

Nerissa looked like she was going to ask the obvious question of 'How?' but changed her mind. I knew that if it had been me, not that I would have killed anyone, but the first thing I would want to know if how the hell she managed to survive. Clearly, her thoughts worked differently to mine, and for that I was grateful.

'You're the next Duchess.' Was Nerissa's only response.

'Well actually, current Duchess. I was officially reinstated over three weeks ago, but you didn't want to move out. So now, get out.'

'Gladly.' Nerissa said. 'Oh wait, I can't, can I? You've got your poor little soldiers to guard me.'

I glanced around, and some of the men seemed more than a little offended by this.

'Duchess Bianca. It's everything you ever wanted, you spoiled little bitch.' Nerissa spat out.

Bianca, to her credit, didn't even blink.

'It's my title. As my father wanted me to have.'

Nerissa let out a loud cackle.

'Your father! Thomas never knew anything. He couldn't see the potential for profit, or control, until I pointed them out. The only thing he knew was how to abuse his wife on a cold night and that was all, no wonder your mother died early.'

Scarlett instantly grew pale at the horrid things said about her parents. But Bianca held her ground.

'My father was a good man, and treated everyone with the respect they deserved. He loved my mother, and would never have laid a finger on you, unless you allowed him. And I don't need a damned mirror of truth to tell me that, Nerissa.' She responded.

Nerissa didn't dignify her with an answer. Which I guessed meant that Bianca was right.

In the very short time I had been in her presence, I had discovered that Nerissa had an unmatched talent for twisting words to reflect exactly what she wanted people to hear, instead of what she actually said. Her tone and manner only added to this. She spoke with such an air or authority and control that even I knew I would have found myself doubting some of the things I would say if I was talking to her. Hers was a tone not to be argued with.

'I'm right, aren't I.' Bianca pushed.

Nerissa remained silent.

'Aren't I!' She shouted.

Nerissa curled her lip upwards in an almost snarl like motion. But no sound came from her.

'You might have had that damned mirror, but you didn't know the truth, did you Nerissa. You want to know how the hell I'm standing here today? I can tell it's killing you inside to know that you failed. I'm here, because you asked the wrong damned question.' Bianca cried at her stepmother.

'It promised me you would die.' Nerissa snarled back.

'And die I did. And yes, I may never wed or have a true love in that sense. I have something far stronger. I have love in my life. The love of my sister, the love of my family, and the love of my friends. And you will never understand that, you heartless bitch.'

'You have no true love.'

'No, I don't. But is not sisterly love true? Or the love of my real family. I have seen my friend sacrifice herself again and again for her family,' Bianca countered, gesturing behind her to me. 'And I know that she would do the same for me, just as I would for her. All that was needed to break your curse was that I had someone who truly loved me, and you let go the one person who ended up breaking the spell.'

Bianca then pointed to Scarlett, who was standing inches taller than she had been when we had entered the room.

'Scarlett broke it!' Nerissa growled, enraged. 'But…but she has a true love. The mirror assured me.'

'Indeed she does.' Alexander shouted from the corner, his arm was protectively wrapped around his wife.

'And your…friend,' Nerissa spat out the words, as for the first time, she turned to me. 'The mirror told me that she has two true loves. One of which lies in the ground, cold and rotting. And the other waits, unloved and forgotten about, like an old doll. If that is love, I don't want it.'

Her words made my heart shrink away. It almost ran in fear.

I had two true loves?

But from her words, it made it sound like I had abused both of them.

James's death had not been my fault. It was not because of me that he was no longer with us.

It was not because of me. It wasn't….

But even as I repeated those words in my head, I found myself wanting to doubt them. That was her power of me, over all of us.

And as for the other one, I had no response; no defence against her biting, cruel words.

However, I had hardly could ponder this, as her gaze met mine, and all I could see, or feel was her coldness. I almost shivered with the anger and hate that was directed at me. How Bianca withstood her full force, I would never understand.

It was only for a moment, then she turned back to her stepdaughter. But the feeling didn't leave me.

'That is your choice. But it saved me. You won't have that option.' Bianca told her. 'I will give you only one chance to begin to redeem yourself.'

'I don't need your pity.' Nerissa argued.

'It's not pity. I want answers, and you are finally going to give them to me.' Bianca countered.

One second passed.

Then another.

No one in the room seemed to want to breathe.

'Why?' Was Bianca's only word.

Nerissa glared at her.

'You don't deserve answers.' She replied.

'Why? Why did you kill me father? Why did you blame me? Why did you terrify Scarlett for all these years? Why the hell did you try and take everything from me?' Bianca cried.

Nerissa didn't even bother to blink in response.

'What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much? I wasn't horrid, I wasn't unkind. Not until you made it clear you wanted nothing but to make my life miserable. What did I ever do to deserve your hate?'

Again, Nerissa didn't react.

Scarlett stepped forwards until she was standing by her sister's side.

'Why were you so cruel? We only ever wanted one thing from you, and you denied us it.' Scarlett asked.

Nerissa's lip turned upwards in a malicious and condescending smile.

'And what was that? What did I deny you?'

I could see that tears had started to collect in Scarlett's eyes.

'What do you think? I have never known another mother, other than you. I wanted to know what it was like.'

Nerissa's smile dropped.

'I wanted to be loved. To have a family. But you murdered our father, and banished Bianca. Everything I held dear, you took from me. I was only a child, and still you didn't love me.' Scarlett sobbed.

'How could anyone love anything as weak and pathetic as you?' Nerissa sneered.

At that moment, everything was still. Then, Alexander, moved like nothing I had ever seen before. Not towards Scarlett, but at Nerissa.

I cried out, knowing it would end badly. Alexander couldn't fight Nerissa. Who knew what else she was capable of.

Scarlett too screamed.

Suddenly, an arm shot out and stopped Alexander on his war path.

Antony held my brother back, pushing him until Alexander gave up the struggle.

'Don't.' Antony said to him. 'She's not worth it.'

Alexander's fury had not died down though. We could all see it, plainly in his face.

'Lowborns.' Nerissa scoffed. 'No control. You're like animals.'

Even my own blood boiled at that statement.

I knew that Nerissa had a skewed outlook on life, but I never thought that her hate of lowborns went that far.

How dare she think of us like that?

What had we ever done to deserve that?

We were people too. With feelings and thoughts and the right to react when someone insulted us.

We might not have been the best educated, or the richest. But we had character and our morals and experiences. And that counted for a great deal in my head.

'Another word against them, and I'll unleash him on you.' Bianca threatened. Alexander looked only too happy to obliged.

But instead, Nerissa turned to Scarlett.

'That was who you chose? You could have had any man in the country, and that's who you decided to defile yourself with. You opened your legs just-'

'ENOUGH!' Philip shouted, cutting her off. Scarlett's face had drained of all colour, whereas Alexander had blushed bright red. 'You will treat Scarlett with the respect that she deserves.'

'She deserves none.' Nerissa countered. 'She has done nothing to earn it.'

Scarlett actually looked like she was going to be sick all over the floor. My heart went out to her, but I was too far away to get to her without abandoning Bianca. And Bianca needed me here.

'You still haven't given us an answer.' Bianca ground out through gritted teeth.

'Why should I? I don't want to, and I'm already as good as condemned, so there is no use in an explanation.' Nerissa said cruelly.

'You murdered our father, a man you vowed to love and cherish.'

'He obeyed those vows as much as I did.'

'He didn't try to murder you.'

'No, he was too stupid to think of that.' Nerissa spat. 'Or too kind. Both are an inexcusable weakness.'

'You hated him, because he was kind?' Scarlett asked.

'He was a Duke. One of the most powerful men in the entire kingdom. And all he wanted to do was help people. It made me sick. All that power within his grasp, and he wasted it. Better to leave it to someone who knew what to do with it.' Nerissa snarled.

All of us stood shocked. I knew she must have been mad to do what she had done, but to kill someone for wanting to help people…that was well beyond what I thought capable in a human.

That mirror must have been used dozens of times. The woman sitting before us was proof that there was no soul left within this beautiful shell. No feelings of regret, no compassion, no decency.

Simply, pure evil.

That was all that remained.

Nothing left of good, or kindness, or even feeling.

Just this.

Only this.

She had felt sick at the prospect at helping people. And that had been almost six years ago, when she murdered him.

How many more times had she used the mirror since then. At least another twice in the last three weeks that we had been here. In six years, how much worse had she gotten since the moment she murdered her husband in cold blood? Had murdered a father, and left two girls orphans?

Now I wanted to be sick. Just from standing in her presence, and letting her speak. What filth was she about to spew over us with her words?

'That's one answer.' Bianca managed to say, even though her hands had clenched tightly into fists at hearing the reason behind her beloved father's death.

'And you will get no more.' Nerissa vowed, before slumping back in her chair. Her postured had not changed, she simply rested her back against the wood.

'Tell us.' Scarlett pleaded. 'We just want to know why?'

'Why?' Nerissa replied. 'So you have more reasons to hate me? I know that you have all resolved to never forgive me regardless, so what more have I to lose? You've already stripped me of my title, my palace, and my freedom!'

I noted the way she didn't say home. This place was not her home. It had been the first word Bianca and Scarlett had used to describe the palace, but not Nerissa. Nerissa, who had killed and plotted for it; she didn't see it as home.

'Why did you blame Bianca?' Scarlett asked, but we all knew it was too late. It was painfully obvious that Nerissa had resolved not to speak any more about her actions.

So, we waited in silence, but no response came. Nerissa simply sat unresponsive.

Scarlett repeated her question, but still nothing. Again and again, and no reply.

Eventually, Alexander moved back to his wife as she was working herself up into a state at the lack of response.

'Nerissa, do you have anything else to say, before we take you away?' Bianca asked her tone of voice steady and in control.

Nerissa didn't even deign to answer that.

Bianca's shoulder's fell forward just a little, a sign of her exhaustion and disappointment. I moved to her side, not quite touching her, but close enough for her to see out of the corner of her eye.

After all this time. After all of this, Nerissa wouldn't even bother to answer some of the most burning questions that Bianca and Scarlett had had for years. Questions about their lives, and how everything came to happen. She wouldn't even give them a sense that everything was over.

'Philip, she's all yours.' Bianca said, in a defeated tone of voice. 

Philip gave the signal to the four men who were stood at the four corners of Nerissa's throne. They all advanced until they were almost touching her.

'Nerissa Knox, by the power invested in me by the King, Queen, and people of this kingdom, I place you under arrest for the crimes of murder of Duke Thomas Knox, as well as Mr Joynce, Mr Palmer and Mr Dixon of Ellerton. I charge also with the attempted murder of the rightful Duchess Bianca Knox, perjury, the unlawful seizure of your station, and the unjust and corrupt rule of this county. You will be escorted from this place to the royal palace to await trial.'

As these words were spoken, I wanted to cheer.

This was it.

After all these years, those were the exact words Bianca had been waiting to hear. A large grin spread across my face at the justice being done before me and I was unable to keep it hidden.

I didn't care.

Let her see how happy I was to see her locked away. She more than deserved it.

Nerissa, to her credit, stayed dignified, and didn't flinch a muscle as the charges were read. She didn't burst into tears, or demand that they be dropped. She knew, as well as everyone else in the room, that she had been charged with what was right and proper, and very full of proof. She would not end her trial with an innocent verdict.

The soldier in front of her reached around on his belt, and unclasped a rather horrid looking pair of manacles, and grabbed her arms roughly. With a firm push, he secured them around her thin wrist and turned the ancient rusted lock with a small key that hung around his neck. He secured them with a little more force than was necessary, but I found myself at ease with that fact. Let her take the rough punishment. She more than deserved it.

The soldier then pulled at her chain until she stood.

'There's no need for force.' She snapped. 'I know how to walk, you brute!'

The soldier only shrugged, and resumed his place at the front of the formation. Two soldiers stood at her side, and one behind her. There was no way she was escaping.

Then, they all began to walk.

Nerissa's head was held just as high as it had been when she was sitting on the throne. She was not a tall woman, but the aura she seemed to exude more than made her feel taller than everyone in the room.

One step after another, they made their way across the centre of the room. Bianca and I stepped back to let them past.

But just as they were about to pass us by, Nerissa moved.

A sharp hissing sound came out of her lips as her eyes flared towards Bianca. She made for us, her anger and hate evident.

The soldiers immediately closed ranks around her, but not before Nerissa had pursed her lips and…

Spat, right at Bianca.

Luckily, it missed, and fell harmlessly on the floor a few inches from Bianca' feet.

My heart seemed to race as soon as she moved, and it took considerably longer to get it to calm again.

'That is all you deserve, you bitch.' Nerissa screamed at Bianca. The soldiers were gripping her now, to ensure she didn't try to attack her stepdaughter.

Once Bianca had recovered, she glared down her greatest enemy.

'Maybe it is. But you don't get to make that judgment. I'll be quite happy with the palace, thank you.'

Nerissa's face flooded with red, but before she could retaliate, one of the soldiers had dragged her back so she was moving away from Bianca.

'YOU SPOILED EVIL LITTLE COW! I SHOULD HAVE TORN YOU TO PIECES, AND MADE YOUR PATHETIC SISTER WATCH! I HOPE YOU BURN, HOPE YOU DIE HORRIBLY. YOU AND YOUR GOOD FOR NOTHING WHORE OF A SISTER! THAT CHILD IS AN ABOMINATION, AND SO ARE-'

The soldier finally pulled her through the door, and slammed it shut behind them, cutting her off.

Scarlett was sobbing into Alexander's arms and clutching her belly tightly. Daniel didn't seem to know where to look.

But Bianca had started shaking.

So, I instantly flung out my arms and pulled her in close.

'It's alright.' I told her. 'It's over.'

Bianca didn't stop shaking.

'You're alright. Her words meant nothing.'

Bianca then clung to me, but shook her head.

'No…No, it's not that. It just…she's gone. Forever.'

I pulled back stunned.

Bianca wasn't upset.

She didn't even look shocked.

No, instead, she was beaming.

'She's gone.' She repeated.

I nodded, trying my best to push the thing Nerissa had said out of my mind.

'Yes.' Was all I could say.

Bianca let out a loud single laugh that echoed around the room.

'She's gone!' She cried!

Throwing her arms around me once more, Bianca squealed with delight. Actually squealed. I had never though her capable of making such a noise.

Her happiness and relief was infectious, as it spread to me, making me forget the unpleasantness of the past few minutes.

'You are truly the Duchess now.' I told her.

Bianca held me tightly, shaking me with her joy.

It wasn't long before I found myself laughing.

It was over.

Bianca was the Duchess.

We had won!

Nerissa was gone for good, never to be seen again.

We were victorious!

So, for the first time in a very long time, I allowed myself to be completely overjoyed.

The way I knew someone would have wanted to be in that moment.

The way I should have been.

We had won.

It was finished.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen.**

 **Two Weeks later.**

I had never been so busy in my entire life.

I seemed to never stop running.

Get this thing, grab that; why were all these things on the complete opposite side of the palace from each other?

On the positive side, I did now know that layout of the palace like the back of my hand.

On the negative side, I never thought I was going to have enough breath in my lungs ever again.

Just as I would cross one task off my monumental to-do list, someone would come up to me with another. I hadn't quite learned all the servant's names yet, but I was getting there slowly.

There was Mrs Chambers, the housekeeper, and her small army of helpers, that included, but was not limited to; Mary, Ellen, Bessie, Philippa, Rosie, Tilly, Violet, Annie, and that other one with the frizzy hair that never seemed to want to be tied up that I could never remember the name of.

And they were just the maids.

There were also countless footmen, gardeners, guards and groomsmen, all under the control of Mr Lupton. I had seen them around, but not had any time to meet them properly.

But to be fair to them, they also had a lot of us to meet as well. I did have a ridiculous number of siblings.

Most of them had worked at the palace before. A small handful of them had worked for Duke Knox, all those years ago, and so knew Bianca well. The others who had worked there had been under Nerissa, but a fair number of them knew Scarlett as well. The pair of them had greeted their old servants as friends, and Scarlett in particular was eager to catch up on all the gossip she had missed in the past few months.

That had been the last time I had time to spare. Daniel, Alexander and I had also been introduced to everyone, but a lot of them wanted to talk to the Knox sisters, which was to be expected.

How I wish I had time now.

For some reason, either the housekeeper or the butler, had decided that due to the fact that I was 'Lady Thorne', I was qualified to make all these decisions about the event. Which colour fabric to drape from the walls, which flowers to display, and which vases to display them in. Then there were rooms to organise, and guests to invite, musicians to employ and host for the night.

Scarlett had offered to help, but her nausea had started to get worse and worse, making her bed ridden for most of the day. Alexander was about as much help as a pillow when it came to organising as he was so distracted by Scarlett's condition constantly. And Daniel had decided to dedicate his time to impressing as many maids as possible. I was about ready to hit him, but I didn't have time. When I confronted him about it, he argued that he deserved a break after living in a military camp for several weeks. I didn't have the energy to point out we had all been living there, so I left him too it.

And poor Bianca.

I hardly saw her. She was possibly even busier than I was. She had the monumental task of actually ruling the county. There were petitions and permits to sign, legal documents to ratify and taxes to keep count of. And she also had to figure out some way to undo all the changes Nerissa had made in the past six years. Many of the changes disadvantaged the already poor lowborns, and could not simply be overturned by Bianca's signature. There were highborns to meet with, and trade agreements to sort out.

I did not envy her task at all.

But, with Scarlett unwell, and my brothers not being very useful, it was left to me to organise the event.

I had been glad to do it. To take some of the stress of Bianca.

However, having never planned a highborn event before, and especially not one was important as this…the stress was starting to get to me.

Thankfully, a week after Nerissa was dragged from the Palace, Daniel set off with two carriages and a cart. And returned the next evening with five children.

I hadn't seen them in a month, and my heart soared to see Gwen run up the Palace steps to fling her arms around my stomach.

She was ten now, we had missed her birthday a few days ago. She squealed with excitement as she was shown her new home, her brown curls bouncing as she ran down one of the long corridors.

Robbie had been equally as excited, and had greeted me quickly, before chasing after our little sister, determined to not let her win at whatever competition they currently were playing.

Tom and Richard simply stood in wonder at their new home. Tom's mouth fell open, but Richard seemed to be surveying it, trying to commit as much as he could to his mind already. I had an inkling that I wouldn't understand what was going on in his head at the moment, but presumed it was something well beyond my own capabilities.

And finally, Clara almost fell into my arms.

'Don't ever leave me alone with them again. I can't take much more of it.' She complained.

'They're not that bad!' I countered.

She heaved.

'They are when Gwen is pushed into a puddle of mud by Robbie, and not only screams loud enough that the whole village can hear, but then also falls onto the carpet and refuses to move. It took me three days to scrub the mud out! THREE DAYS!'

'And what do you think we've been doing? Attending balls and wearing pretty dresses?' I argued.

'Not yet, but isn't that next week?' Clara asked excitedly, her previous hardship forgotten instantly at the prospect of a ball.

I rolled my eyes at my sister.

'You're not predictable at all.' I said sarcastically.

'I am well aware I am predictable. That shouldn't matter, I want a ball!'

'And one we shall have, once I get everything organised.' I replied, trying to sound optimistic, but knowing how much left there was to do.

'I want to know everything. But first, where the hell is Alexander?' She demanded.

I sighed.

'Daniel told you? You know he did that just to annoy Alexander.'

'That's not the point! Why am I always the last person to hear about these things?'

'You're not always last! Do the little ones know?'

Clara stumbled for a moment.

'That's not the point!' She argued.

'You weren't here! He's not magic, you know. We can't speak mind to mind! And you know now, so does it really matter?'

'Oh Marion, so naïve. The question of my niece of nephew does matter!' She said, turning around and running into the palace.

'How am I more naïve than you? I'm four years older?' I argued, running after her. 'And do you even know where you are going?'

'Also, not the point Marion!' She said, keeping up quite an impressive pace. So impressive in fact, that I had to stop and shouted to her.

'Top of the stairs, down to the left and forth door on the right.'

Clara grinned wickedly, and then disappeared out of sight.

Eventually, I did manage to catch up and stood outside Alexander and Scarlett's room while I heard Clara scream at Alexander in anger, but squeal at Scarlett with delight. The two of them had missed each other, that much was obvious. I just smiled on the other side of the door. In the end Alexander left the two of them to catch up and walked out, while massaging the clearly smacked back of his head.

'I'll get you back for this.' He joked, spotting me outside. 'Couldn't you have slowed her down a bit? Or warned me?'

I only shrugged.

'Can anything stop her?'

Alexander sighed.

'Right, I supposed there's no putting off telling the rest of them. Where are they?'

We tracked them all down, told them the news, and then showed them to their new rooms.

Bianca had offered for us all to live in the palace with her, as payment for letting her live with us for the past year. And considering she had more than enough space for us all, we accepted.

I didn't really like the idea of going back to Rault anyway. It was so far away from Bianca, and I never really fitted back in there. Also, Scarlett seemed to want to stay with her sister and have her baby in comfort, and not in the cramped cottage they had back in Rault. And if Scarlett stayed, Alexander stayed. We would all have been split up.

So, the alternative was living in a Palace. How hard for us all.

We were never again going to go hungry, or have to wear our clothes until they were threadbare.

We were going to live like Highborns again.

And after all we had been through with Nerissa, I didn't feel the least bit guilty about becoming wealthy. We had earned it, and now, I was going to enjoy it.

But now, after living in the palace for two weeks, almost everything was organised. It had taken every waking second, but I had done it.

The cook had been informed of the menu, and was working on the food right now. The guests had been invited, and those who were staying overnight had been assigned a room, which had been cleaned out. The musicians, the decoration, the two thousand candles were all in position to be lit. And somehow, I had also managed to get all my siblings fitted for clothes, as well as Scar and Bea.

There were only the last minute touches that needed putting in place. Like the flowers that I was currently holding, which needed to be place in the vase by the window.

They had only been picked this morning, in order that they weren't half dead by the time the ball started this evening. A lovely bouquet of red roses, at Bianca's request, I carefully placed in the glass vase. She said that it had been her mother's favourite flower, and she wanted as much of her mother here today, to wipe out all traces of Nerissa. I wholeheartedly agreed.

There was little over an hour until the ceremony started, and I still wasn't dressed. Guests had already begun to arrive, and Scarlett had been the given the task of greeting them. I would have done, but there were too many other things for me to get done that I had to delegate that task. Also, Scarlett had been a highborn all her life, she knew how to do these things. I didn't.

I could be polite, but I didn't know the proper way to address highborns by rank, who to curtsey to or not to. Scarlett would do a much better job than me.

Many of the maids around me were also working hard to put the final polish on everything. They were all wearing their smartest dresses, with aprons over the top to keep them clean. They were in no danger of being confused with the highborns. Not after some of the dresses I saw some ladies in. I thought they must all have been in a competition with each other as to who can show off the most wealth on a dress. Some actually had jewels sown into the fabric of the dress, not just around their necks or on their ears.

Some of them look hideous. But I kept that opinion to myself. Today was not a day to think of anything but Bianca.

This was all for her. It was her day. I wasn't going to ruin it by talking about someone else's dress behind their back. As much as they deserved it.

I moved the flowers around a little, pushing the more blossomed ones to the front.

'Lady Marion, we have this in hand.' One of the maids said from behind me. I turned to see Annie stood there. 'You should change.'

I glanced down to see my usual brown dress still on me. Clara had been in her new dress since she had awoken.

'Are you sure there's nothing else to be done?' I asked.

Annie nodded.

'Yes. You're going to be late if you don't go now.' She insisted.

I sighed.

'Alright. Thank you.'

'Go!' She pushed me forward, making me smile. I liked Annie, she had a good sense of humour. And she didn't seem intimidated by my title. She just saw me for what I was, a lowborn with good luck.

Running down the corridor, I pulled at the strings holding my apron on. I had less than an hour to get ready for possibly one of the most important events of my life.

Getting ready in a short space of time was something that I had done before. My wedding day came to mind. But the standard was a little higher here. I wasn't getting changed in the middle of the forest, but in a grand palace. I had only James to impress that day, but here, I had far too many pair of eyes on me.

I was the lowborn friend, whose brother had married one of the highest born women in the country. It didn't take a genius to work out that we were going to be the subject of much gossip today. Add that to all the rumour that were going around about how Bianca rose from the dead, it was no surprise that many lords and ladies had responded to the invitation. The main hall was going to be packed with people all desperate to get a glance at the miraculous Duchess.

We all knew it was going to be a trying day.

I ran back to my room, pulling the apron off as I strode through the door. My room was just as grand as it had been in Thorne manor. Large and painted dark green and gold, it had been one of the few guest rooms in the east wing of the palace. The Knox family had generally lived on this side of the palace, and the guests had been traditionally housed in the remaining three wings. Bianca had taken her father's room, Scarlett and Alexander had moved into her old chamber. I had been given one of the other rooms, as well as Gwen, who now lived in the nursery. She very much liked living in a room full of toys and space to play. We knew that in a few years she would be too big to live there, but by that point, we would have another little Brown that could live there. If not several (Scarlett had already hinted that she wanted this little one to have at least one other sibling…)

Daniel, Clara, Richard, Tom and Robbie had all been given their own rooms in the South wing. Where they were no doubt all getting ready now.

My dress was already draped over the wardrobe door, and had been since last night. The silk rustled as I pulled it down. I changed as quickly as I could, my fingers fumbling over the buttons and my old brown dress was left in a puddle on the floor. I didn't have time to pick it up.

It was an unusual dress for me. Yellow silk. I nearly always dressed in dark or earthly tones, mainly because I couldn't afford anything else. But even the ball gowns I had owned had been shades of green and blue.

But this dress, the slightly muted yellow tone, contrasted nicely with my dark brown hair. Or at least that was what the seamstress had said. I think it was one of the fabric in the shop she hadn't seemed to be able to get rid of so had pushed it at me. However, I rather liked it.

It reminded me that today was a day of celebration and joy. We had won, and it was time to revel in our victory. Now was the time for happiness, no more darkness.

I never wanted any more darkness. I'd had enough for several lifetimes.

Moving to the small dressing table, I pinned my hair back out of my eyes and secured a golden chain in my hair. My emerald still hung against my neck, as it had been since this morning. That was the only jewellery I wore. I knew I would stand out from all the other guests, but I didn't care. I wasn't like them anyway.

A quick brush of powder over my cheeks and rouge on my lips and I was done.

I looked rather pretty, even if I did have to say it myself. Not beautiful, but I would never be that. But still…pretty.

A knock came at the door.

'It's open.' I shouted, pulling a lock of hair over my shoulder.

The door swung open and I saw Clara lean through the doorway.

'I can't get Gwen's hair to stay put. And she keeps trying to spin around in her new dress. Can you give it a go?'

She looked beautiful. And I wasn't sure if that was just because I was happy today, or that she was my sister, but I thought she had never looked better. She clearly had taken a great deal of pride in her appearance today. Her peach dress made her look stunning. She was truly going to be the belle of the ball, as she had always dreamed of being.

I sighed.

'Fine.' I said, pushing myself up. 'You round up Richard, Tom and Robbie. And possibly Daniel, if he hasn't moved yet.'

'I can't run in this dress!' Clara complained.

'What do you think I've been doing all day! And will be doing! You can manage shouting at them to hurry up, I hope.' I retaliated, following my sister down the corridor.

Clara mumbled something about letting her have the day off, but turned off towards the south wing, while I made my way to the door of the nursery.

'Gwen? Come on, we don't have all day.' I told her, spotting her sitting on the rocking horse on the other end of the room. She looked like a little princess in her blue gown.

'Look Marion! I'm a lady riding on her horse.' She said, waving politely with her hand.

'Well, you have to be a lady at the ceremony, but without the horse.' I said, pulling her down from the rocking horse. 'Now, stand still, or we're all going to be late, and Bianca won't be happy.'

'But it hurts when Clara brushes my hair!' Gwen complained, as I made her sit at the dressing table.

'I'm not Clara.'

'It hurts when you do it too.'

'Well tough. That's just what it's like to be a girl with nice hair.' I told her, attempting to tame her curls.

After that, Gwen was quiet. I secured her hair out of her eyes with a blue ribbon, and then took her hand and dragged her out of the nursery. We didn't have much time to get down to the hall. We almost ran down stone corridors and across small meeting rooms until we managed to get to the entrance hall outside the main hall.

There was still quite a sizable crowd of Highborn lords and ladies waiting to be greeted by Scarlett. I pushed past them all, waving briefly to Scarlett with my free hand. Alexander was stood by her side, looking very dashing in his new navy blue jacket and his hair combed back for a change.

Even I had to admit that the main hall looked rather good.

I had designed the entire thing. And I took great pride in it.

Flowers of all sort stood proudly in vases. Patterned cloth hung from the high ceiling, and candles stood ready to be lit once the sun began to set.

All the crockery that was to be used for best was out, as was all the fine vases and candelabras. Everything had been polished at least three times until it shone like the sun, and everything had been placed in precisely the correct spot, down to the inch.

As it was my first time, I wanted to leave a good impression. And to also make sure that Bianca would be letting me do this again. Maybe without so much pressure on me this time.

However, the nerves were still trapped inside me. I thought they would have gone by now. Maybe once the ceremony and ball were over, maybe then….

Gwen was pulling on my hand now. I'd gotten so lost in looking around at my work that I hadn't seen the rest of my family already in place.

I couldn't help but smile at how smart they all looked. All of us, in our new clothes, ready to celebrate the victory we had won. Our entire family, back together.

There were moments on that horrid day that I thought that we would never be all together again. That we would have to go home and pass on the news that Bianca or Scarlett hadn't made it back. It would have killed me to tell them that.

But all of that was behind us now.

'This shirt itches. I don't like it.' Robbie complained, pulling it away from the skin of his neck.

'Mine does too.' Tom added.

'Well, tough. You all look smart, and you are going to keep those clothes this clean, or there will be trouble. The poor maids need a break after all they've done for the past two weeks.'

'But I don't want to stand still, or go to the ball if we can't do anything!' Robbie complained.

'We're doing it for Bea. Just behave through the ceremony and after an hour at the ball, you can go back to the nursery to get changed, and then you can do whatever you want.' I proposed. 'Does that sound reasonable?'

Robbie shrugged, but he didn't look too happy about it. Tom just nodded.

They had all been made new jackets, waistcoats, trousers and shirts. Robbie's had been made with the same fabric as Alexander's, whereas Richard and Tom's were a dark brown colour. Daniel had decided to stand out with his forest green jacket, and as already scanning the room for pretty girls. He'd already tried out his charms on several maids, but hadn't had much luck.

We had a spot right at the front. Family of the Duchess. I allowed myself to feel a little smug that we were the guests of honour here, not all these highborns.

The room only continued to get more and more crowded.

Eventually, familiar faces began to join us.

Antony strode over to where we were standing, a large grin from ear to ear. He too was dressed for the occasion, and had been staying the palace for the past two days. He had his own room, but it was the worst kept secret in the palace that he hadn't been sleeping there.

He was then joined by Christopher, who brought a rather special guest.

My heart leapt at the sight of a very small person toddling along by his side.

'Well, hello there!' I said, bending down a little.

A small boy, only about as high as Christopher's knee glanced up to me with big brown eyes. Familiar eyes. Eyes of someone I used to see every day.

The little boy blinked.

'Say hello Jonathan! This is your Aunt Marion!' Christopher pushed his son forward.

Baby Jonathan's lip trembled as he tried to hide behind his father's leg.

'It's little Jonathan!' Gwen squealed. 'He's all big!'

'Daddy?' Jonathan asked, reaching his hands up, clearly wanting to be lifted.

'Why have you gone all shy? This is your Aunt!' Christopher told the small boy, lifting him into his arms.

'Look at you Jonathan! You're all grown up, and a big brother now. How smart you look!' I said to him in a high voice.

'Ellie's not here. She's too small.' Jonathan told me. 'With Mummy.'

I glanced up to Christopher.

'He's very bright, isn't he!' I said.

'Oh yes. You're a very clever boy, aren't you! And a lovely big brother!' Christopher cooed. Jonathan smiled while his shoulder's rose up to his ears. Behind me, I heard Clara loose an 'aww.' My own heart felt very full seeing Christopher and his son.

Even though I was not his godmother, I still felt a connection with Jonathan. I was there when he had been born, had heard his first cries in the world.

And of course, I had been close to his actual Godfather.

James had loved Jonathan. He had adored this small boy. That day that Christopher and Ella had visited Thorne Manor, it was plainly obvious that James loved the little toddler. And as he never got to have any children of his own, I knew he would have treasured him.

And that would have made him my godchild. And I would have treasured him as well.

I truly did feel a sense of loss that I hadn't seen him in over a year. That this feud between me and his mother had prevented me for being a part of his life.

But at least now, there was hope I might be able to see him more often, through Christopher. And maybe, one day, I might meet his sister, Eleanor Cecily. Christopher had told me that she looked like her grandmother, the late Lady Eleanor. Or at least, according to Ella. I had always liked Lady Eleanor; she had died too young. As had too many people in my life.

But Jonathan was here now. This beautiful, smart little boy was here, that was what I should have been focusing on.

'Right, come on Jonathan. The ceremony will be starting soon. Say goodbye.' Christopher said.

'Bye bye.' Jonathan said, waving, 'Aunty Marion.'

My heart felt like it was going to burst.

Jonathan's eyes didn't leave my own as his father led him away, his head resting on his shoulder. I waved a little at him, as did a few other of my siblings.

'Can't he stay here? I just want to…I don't know the word.' Clara said. 'He's just so adorable.'

'He really is.' Tom said.

'Can we play with him after the ball. He'd like the toys in the nursery.' Gwen pleaded.

'I'll ask Christopher later. It'll be starting any moment now.' I told her.

'Speaking of that.' Daniel noted, inclining his head towards the door.

Two footmen had closed the door, and all the highborns had taken the hint and moved to their assigned seats. On the end, Richard sat, then Tom, Robbie and Gwen.

'Move over, I want to sit next to Alexander.' Daniel announced.

'You want to be within sight of that blonde over there.' I mumbled, knowing exactly why Daniel wanted to be in that seat. It was about as subtle as a hammer.

I sat next to Gwen, while Daniel shifted into the seat next to me.

Alexander and Scarlett would be joining us later. They were due to come in last. To make sure there wasn't anyone else who needed greeting if they arrived late.

My hands started sweating. Maybe I should have gone to see her. I should have been outside with her. She was no doubt a nervous wreck, and I wasn't there to support her.

What if she didn't like the decoration? What if I had forgotten something? What if I had messed everything up.

The doors at the back opened, and a handsome couple strode down the middle of the hall.

A radiant red head, and my brother walked past all the seated highborns to the front of the room, heads held high, and arms clasped together. Scarlett looked stunning in a burgundy dress that complimented her hair amazingly well. They reached the front, and then took the two empty seats of the end of our row.

'They've arrived?' I whispered to Scarlett.

She nodded.

'Yes, they're both outside now.'

'And how's Bea?'

Scarlett beamed.

'As ready as she'll ever be. I never thought this day would come!'

I nodded.

'Well, it arrived.' I told her.

The footmen at the back of the hall gave the signal, and the two trumpeters took a breath and began to play.

The entire room fell silent to listen.

The fanfare was short, but familiar. I'd heard it once before, at the royal court that day Scarlett and I had gone.

It was really here. This was happening.

After all this time, the day had arrived.

The Fanfare ended, and the trumpeters lowered their instruments. I swivelled around in my chair to face the back, as did many other lords and ladies.

The door opened, and another handsome couple stood in full view of the crowd.

This time, they wore matching silver clothes, as well as silver crowns on their heads.

We all rose to our feet out of respect.

As the Crown Princess and Prince made their way down the centre of the Main hall.

The moment they began to pass, lords and ladies sunk into low bows and curtseys.

They looked truly regal. Like they had been born to it.

It was quite remarkable, the transformation in Rose since the first time I met her. She had changed when I saw her at the palace, but now, without her parents around, she really shone.

The lost princess, now found and happy.

Philip smiled politely as he passed through all the assembled people. He looked just the same as he had while he had been in charge of the war camp.

Calm, controlled, collected.

But now, he looked happy. Not weighed down by decision making, or strategies, or command.

He deserved it. He had been a good leader, looked after us all, and ensured our victory. We owed him a great deal for today. We had tried to thank him in the days after Nerissa's defeat, but he had told us that no thanks were necessary. He had only done what he would do for anyone suffering the greatest injustice. And he said he would have done the same for any of his friends. Or his friend's wives.

That night we moved in, we had stayed up late. All of us, and Philip had raised a solemn toast to friends no longer here. To friends who would have been here if they could have been. We all knew exactly who he meant.

Rose and Philip strode past us, and we all bowed with respect. Even Gwen lowered his head as she curtsied.

They reached the front and turned around to face us all. Philip loosened his grip on his wife, and stepped forward.

'Greetings, to all.' He started, his voice clear and steady. 'And thank you, for joining us on this special occasion. Please, be seated.'

At his command, everyone took their seats.

'Today, we celebrate the end of a great injustice.' He announced. 'An injustice that began almost six years ago, at the tragic loss of the late Duke Knox. His murderer went unpunished, in fact rewarded, and twisted the truth to protect herself. But, in the end, through hard work and dedication, she was brought to justice, and the situation righted. I can only thank the men and women who worked with me at the siege, for their patience and loyalty. It is thanks to them that we stand here victorious.'

There were a few mumbles from the back. I wasn't sure if that was in agreement of his statement, or in opposition.

'Without further ado, it is my privilege to present one of the most remarkable women I have ever known. The rightful successor to Duke Thomas Knox; his daughter, Bianca Knox.'

I couldn't contain the enormous grin that spread over my face.

Everyone turned around as the large doors at the back of the room opened once more, and a single figure stood proudly, confidently waiting.

She wore a new silk dress of deep purple, her hair unbound for once. She looked like a proper lady, a real highborn Duchess. Her eyes remained fixed ahead of her, and her chin was raised.

She looked surprisingly…feminine. Which was something I'd never seen her look. Not even at Scarlett's wedding, she'd had her hair up then but she had worn a dress. If I hadn't known her so well, I would have thought that this was her usual attire. She wore it well. But she had been raised in the knowledge that she would be a Duchess one day, so she had no doubt been trained for it.

Bianca took her first step, her dress trailing behind her.

My heart soared.

This was it.

I had never been so proud of anything in my life.

Than seeing my greatest friend proudly walk towards her destiny. That was right in front of her for the taking.

After all she had suffered and fought for. She had earned this, tenfold.

This was what we had dreamed of.

Bianca had reached the middle of the room now, a controlled smile on her face.

But I…I was blinking back tears.

Her father would have been so proud of her. Here she was, becoming the woman she was meant to be.

All the hiding and terror and fear was behind her. All the injustice overturned and put right.

It all seemed too good to be true.

Something was finally going right for us. That was a rare thing in itself.

Bianca reached the front of the crowd, and allowed her eyes to drift over to where we were sat.

I only beamed, but I saw Scarlett nod, and Gwen waved to her sister in law. Bianca just raised her eyebrows at us.

She stopped about three steps ahead of me, in front of the carved, golden decorated throne that we had happily dragged Nerissa out of two weeks ago. Then, after a deep breath, she ascended the two step Dias and turned to face us.

The princess stepped to her side.

'In her parent's place, Princess Rose will conduct the ceremony.' Philip announced, glancing to his wife.

Rose smiled.

'Are you Bianca Knox, daughter of Duke Thomas and Duchess Elizabeth Knox?' She asked.

'I am.' She replied, her voice shaking a little.

'Are you your father's heir?'

'I am.'

'And are you ready and willing to take on the duties and responsibilities of this Dukedom?'

'I am.' She said for the final time.

'Then sit.' Rose told her.

Bianca smoothly lowered herself into the seat. Rose then turned to address us.

'And do you, the gathered Nobility of the land, accept Bianca's claim.'

'We do.' Everyone replied in unison. I had never spoken truer words.

Rose turned back to Bianca.

'Please repeat after me.' She asked Bianca, with a small smile.

'I, Bianca Knox; daughter and heir of Duke Thomas Knox.'

'I, Bianca Knox; daughter and heir of Duke Thomas Knox.'

'Vow to govern fairly, judge justly, and protect all peoples of this county.'

Bianca took a subtle deep breath.

'Vow to govern fairly, judge justly, and protect all peoples of this county.'

'I vow to devote my life to my people.'

'I vow to devote my life to my people.' Bianca repeated.

'To uphold the laws and traditions of this great country.'

Bianca repeated.

'To be loyal to the royal house of Valorian'

'To be loyal to the royal house of Valorian'

'And to serve the citizens of this county and country to the best of my ability.'

Bianca hands shook as she said.

'And to serve the citizens of this county and country to the best of my ability.'

I knew her hands were shaking from nerves, not from anything else. She had been terrified of this day, and had told us all on multiple occasions. To have all eyes on her, knowing that she could not mess up.

Rose smiled kindly at my friend, as she moved away from Bianca and took the object that a servant was holding up on a pillow.

'Do you take this sceptre, as a symbol of your power to rule your people?'

'I do.' Bianca said, as Rose lay it in her arms.

'And do you take this ring, bearing the emblem of your family, to do as your ancestors did before you, ruling justly and fairly?'

'I do.' Bianca said, with a slightly uneven voice.

Rose reached forward, and pushed the ring onto Bianca's forefinger.

I saw the corner of Bianca's eyes begin to mist.

It was her father's ring. She had seen him wear it her entire life. And now it was hers; now and forever.

'As the Crown Princess of this kingdom, I hereby declare you…'

My joy almost burst from my heart.

'Duchess Bianca Knox. Ruler of this county'. Rose announced.

The Fanfare began again, this time with a new tune that I didn't recognise.

A Fanfare for a Duchess.

I could hardly think past my happiness.

Bianca too was overjoyed.

Her lip was trembling. A tell-tale sign that she was trying very hard to keep an expression hidden. I had seen it on her face many times before, although it usually meant she was upset. But anyone could tell she was the furthest away from upset you could be.

I, however, couldn't control myself.

Tears of pure joy flooded my eyes.

She had done it.

Now, and forever more, she was the Duchess.

She had done all she had set out to do.

She had inherited her father's title, deposed of his murder, and seen the injustice righted.

After all this pain and suffering, it was all over.

I had never been prouder of anyone in my entire life. She had achieved her greatest ambition through untold difficulty and hardship.

And I'd had the absolute privilege of being by her side. Maybe it hadn't always been so amazing. The moment she had died came to mind.

But she was here now.

Duchess Bianca Knox.

Ruler of the county.

And my greatest friend.

In her rightful place, as she should always have been.

We had won.

This was our happily ever after. This was it, the moment we had all been working for.

So, I allowed myself to cry with joy.

There were few moments in life where it was acceptable. And I had shed enough tears for sorrow.

For once, let them be happy.

For that was what I was.

Utterly overjoyed.

The Fanfare ended and the assembled crowd all began to chant.

'Long live the King. Long live the Duchess.'

More tears slipped from my eyes, and I saw the first slip from Bianca's as we all joined in.

'Long live the Duchess.'

'Long live Duchess Bianca.'

Long live Duchess Bianca indeed.

The chant then died away, and silence once again ruled.

'If I may offer my congratulations to the new Duchess?' Rose asked politely. 'But there is another ceremony I have been instructed to perform, at the request of my parents and husband.'

We all sat stunned at this.

No one had told us anything else was going to happen.

Why had no one said anything.

I wiped my eyes and glanced frantically towards Philip, who happened to be looking in the right direction at that moment.

He only smiled knowingly, and offered no explanation.

'With your permission, Duchess Bianca?' Rose asked.

Bianca looked as stunned as we all were, and nodded.

'The story of the taking of this palace has been told again and again at the royal palace. An account of great bravery and loyalty through a most difficult time.'

She glanced down to us for a short moment, but then turned her attention back to the crowd.

'It is the opinion of myself and the royal family, that those involved should be rewarded for their efforts. For they have surely earned them.'

My heart began to pound. There were only a few people here that had been present on the day that the Palace had been taken.

Philip; but he couldn't really be rewarded much more. He was the crown prince, what more could they possibly give him?

Christopher was a Duke. Without making him a member of the royal family, there was nowhere else he could rise too.

That left Antony, Lord Edward…

And us.

Me, Alexander, Daniel and Scarlett.

We were the only ones here who had been there that day.

What were they planning?

Rose gave a knowing smile.

'Lord Edward Knighton.' She called.

I hadn't noticed him arrive.

But there he was, on the other side of the hall, sat the row behind us.

He stood, also with a shocked look on his face. It was a little comforting to know that he too had been surprised by this.

I noticed his wife was sat by his side. Lady Annette looked as familiar as ever, but with one large exception. There was a noticeable bump in her belly. A little brother or sister for Henry.

I still felt a great admiration for her. For breaking that damned curse. I owed her so much, and even more now that she had let her husband help us. He had brought us the information that had made it possible for Nerissa to be removed.

'Please, approach.'

Lord Edward looked completely oblivious as to what was happening as he slowly walked toward the princess.

Rose turned towards her husband, who handed her a sealed scroll.

'Lord Edward Knighton. In recognition of your service to the crown, and to Duchess Knox, we here bestow you with three hundred acres of land bordering your estate.' The princess announced, presenting the scroll to Lord Edward.

He almost stopped cold with shock, before recovering his senses and bowed before the princess.

'Thank you, your highnesses.' He managed to utter. 'And your grace.'

Bianca nodded, clearly just going along with it. She was just as surprised as we all were. Rose and Philip took his thanks graciously.

Lord Edward seemed stunned for another moment. Philip gestured for Lord Edward to stand by his side, and as in a daze, he moved.

'Mr Daniel Brown.' Rose announced.

Daniel went white.

None of us had been expecting this.

On shaking legs, Daniel rose to his feet. It didn't take him long to approach the princess.

'Please kneel.' Rose asked.

And my brother did so.

I did not think it was possible for my heart to swell with anymore pride that it already had, but it did.

'What's happening?' Gwen whispered.

'I don't know.' I replied. 'But I think I have an idea.'

Rose turned around to where Philip had already pulled his sword from his scabbard. Rose took it, the weight, she was clearly not used to.

'In recognition of your part in the capture of the false Duchess, Nerissa, we have chosen to bestow noble rank on you. A knighthood.'

She raised the sword and placed the flat edge gently on Daniel's shoulder. Followed by the other one. 'By the power invested in me, as Crown Princess, I hereby dub you Sir Daniel Brown.'

'Arise, Sir Daniel Brown.'

Daniel raised his head, while the room behind us burst into applause.

Once I had fully comprehended what had happened, I joined their applause with a vengence.

My brother was now a Knight. He was nobility.

A highborn.

He rose from his kneeling position until he was stood upright.

A knight.

Sir Daniel Brown.

Philip gestured for him to join him and Lord Edward, and Daniel moved.

Rose then turned back to the crowd.

'Sir Antony Vaughn?'

By this time, Antony had clearly guessed what was happening.

He stood. And the expression on his face rather reminded me of his friend.

Antony clearly knew what he was about to receive, and thought he deserved it. As did I. The smile he had only showed arrogance.

As James's had been.

Not a smile of malice or bad. Just one of pride.

Antony made his way to the front. To where one of his closest friend was stood with his wife.

'Please kneel.' Rose asked him.

Antony did so, but not before I saw a wink aimed in Bianca's direction. She didn't react.

'Sir Antony Vaughn, in recognition of your part in the capture of the false Duchess Nerissa, we have decided to bestow on you the title of Lord.'

Even Antony flinched at that.

Rose lifted the sword again, and pressed the flat edge against one shoulder, then the other. 'By the power invested in me, as Crown Princess, I hereby dub you Lord Antony Vaughn.'

'Arise, Lord Antony Vaughn.'

Antony beamed, and rose off his knees to greet his friend. Philip gestured for Antony to stand by Daniel and Lord Edward.

'Lady Marion Thorne.' Rose called.

My blood froze. As did my heart.

Me?

What did they want with me?

I didn't deserve any recognition. I hadn't done anything.

Gwen elbowed me rather firmly in the side, forcing me to stand.

I had not a clue what was going on.

I felt all the eyes on me as I made my way passed Alexander and Scarlett until I was almost stood in front of the royals and Bianca.

How I moved forward, I had not a clue. I was almost in a daze.

'Kneel, please.' Rose asked me.

Entranced, I did.

Rose's voice drifted towards me as if through the sea, all mumbled and distorted.

'In recognition of your service to Duchess Bianca and the crown, and for your part in bringing the liar Nerissa to justice, we have made the decision to ennoble you. You inherited your title from your late husband, but this will allow you to pass on your title to your future children, and keep your title if you choose to remarry.'

I didn't know what to think.

The fact they would do this for me.

I looked up, and turned my head to see Bianca. She was beaming widely at me.

Through the cloth of my dress, I felt the sword press down. First on my left shoulder, and then my right.

'By the power invested in me, as Crown Princess, I hereby dub you Lady Marion Thorne.'

'Arise, Lady Marion Thorne.'

Still unsure of what I was doing, I obeyed. I remembered hearing some applause behind me as I moved towards my brother who was grinning like nothing I'd ever seen before.

I was a highborn. A true highborn.

Not just for marrying James, I was a highborn now in my own right.

A true lady.

I hardly had time to turn around before Rose called for, 'Mr Alexander Brown, and Mrs Scarlett Brown.'

I didn't think it was possible to feel any more pride in my heart, but somehow I managed it.

The two of them glanced to each other, before they stood; Alexander offering his arm to Scarlett. They made their way out of their seats and stood in front of the princess.

'Kneel please.' Rose asked them.

The two of them did.

'In recognition of your part in the capture of the false Duchess, Nerissa, we have chosen to bestow noble rank on you. A knighthood.' Rose told Alexander, lifting the sword once again.

Alexander's skin had drained of all colour from shock.

'By the power invested in me, as Crown Princess, I hereby dub you Sir Alexander Brown.' She announced, placing the sword gently on his left shoulder, then his right.

Rose then turned to Scarlett.

'As his wife, and in recognition of the part you played in the defeat of Nerissa and in saving your sister's life, we hereby grant you the title of Lady.

A large grin spread over Scarlett's face as the sword was placed on her own shoulders.

'By the power invested in me, as Crown Princess, I hereby dub you Lady Scarlett Brown.'

I saw Alexander reach out and grasp his wife's hand.

'Your titles are yours for the remainder of your lives, never to be stripped away. And will be passed down to your children and spouses if you so wish.' Rose announced to us all. Briefly, I saw Scarlett look down to her belly.

That little girl would be a Lady when she grew up, thanks to this.

'Arise, Sir and Lady Brown.' Rose asked them.

On slightly unsteady legs, they both did, arm in arm.

Rose then turned to face the crowd.

'Todays celebration is owed to these people standing before you. And to Duke Christopher Howard.' She said, gesturing to him. Christopher didn't stand, he only nodded.

'It is due to their loyalty and sacrifice that justice prevailed. I ask you to congratulate and thank them for their service.'

The room erupted into thunderous applause. And none were louder than my brother and sisters sat on the front row, screaming and shouting with joy. Gwen had actually risen to her feet while clapping.

I couldn't quite believe it. That Rose would do this for us.

A highborn family. In our own right.

The applause continued, almost deafening us.

I don't think I'd ever seen Clara, Richard, Tom, Robbie and Gwen so happy. They all wore the largest smiles I had ever seen. And those smiles spread to me.

Glancing around, I saw Christopher looking at me. He was trying his best to clap, but he had a small boy on his knee which he was trying to move his arm around. Jonathan didn't seem to be aware of what was going on, but was trying to clap his hands together, missing quite a few times.

Looking over, I saw Lady Annette beaming at her husband.

But then the applause began to die away, and I turned my head over my shoulder and saw Bianca blinking away tears.

I nodded to her.

We had done it.

This was our lives now.

And the future was going to be grand.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen.**

The Ball had only just begun.

But already, there were people everywhere. I could hardly move for highborn lords and ladies on all sides of me.

I had completely lost track of my siblings. The elder three I wasn't as worried about, but the little ones, I had no idea where they were.

I knew that logically, they wouldn't have left the palace. So were either in this room, or had gone back to the nursery. But the fact that I couldn't see them was starting to panic me a little.

The aftermath of the ceremony had been a blur. The highborns had all started mingling with each other, exchanging gossip about this person or that person. We had managed to make it to Bianca who was ecstatic with joy.

We had all embraced her as our sister, and wished her the very best.

A duchess in the family. If only our parents could see us now.

And also the small matter of Alexander and Daniel's knighthoods. And mine and Scarlett's titles.

What would they have said, had they lived?

Half of us now with titles.

What would they have thought about what had happened since they passed? My marriage, the curse, Alexander's marriage, the war camp?

And now this?

Gwen and Tom had complained that they had not been given a title, but we had to remind them that they hadn't been there. Clara had simply pointed out that they all just had to get involved in some other adventure, or marry well, to get a title. And it was plainly obvious which one Clara was hoping for. She'd already had her eye on several young men throughout the ceremony.

But Bianca had been dragged away by various highborns, all wanting to know all about her story, and telling her how terrible it must have been to have to live with lowborns for so long. She was bearing it, but not very well.

Alexander and Scarlett had managed to escape, claiming that Scarlett felt ill again. Although, judging by her complexion at the ceremony, that hardly seemed true. But none of us had fought them on it, and simply left them too it.

The small ones had run off in search of food, and Daniel had no doubt gone after some pretty girl he'd had his eye on since this morning. Unfortunately, his new title would only increase his chances at working his charms on girls.

And that left Clara. Who had disappeared to chat with some other young girls that she had made friends with.

Leaving me in the middle of the crowd, unsure of what to do next.

I needed to find someone, anyone.

Someone I knew to talk to.

I wanted someone to explain today's events.

Had anyone else known about Rose and Philip's surprise announcement? Who knew they were going to reward us all with titles and land? And if they had known, why hadn't they said anything?

Using a little more elbow power than was necessary, I pushed through the crowd to reach the front of the room. Bianca's throne was raised slightly, so I thought I might get a better view of the room. I stood on the bottom step of the Dais, and looked around.

Daniel, I spotted immediately. With that pretty blonde who had caught his eye earlier on.

But just behind him, stood a familiar face I hadn't seen in over two weeks. I couldn't help but smile at his neat and precise moustache and beard.

I set off for him, seeing that he was standing alone as well.

'Mr Johnson!' I cried as I approached.

He turned to face me, and gave me a polite smile.

'Lady Marion. What a pleasure to see you again.' He said, with a small bow.

'Oh, there's no need for that.' I told him. That was the one part of being a Lady I would never get used to.

'Well, I heard you were honoured earlier.' He said.

'Yes, but I still don't feel like a Lady. I don't think I ever will.'

'You're certainly not like any lady I've met before. They never would have changed dirty bedsheets or emptied chamber pots.'

'I just did what I could.'

'It was all very helpful.'

'And I can't thank you enough.' I told him. 'For allowing to assist you, and for teaching me. I learned so much from you.'

'Well, with any luck, you will never need to use those skills again. Unless one of your siblings in planning on falling out of a tree any time soon. I highly doubt they will be playing with swords like in the camp.'

I shrugged.

'No doubt Robbie or Gwen will fall someday soon. And I wouldn't put it past Daniel to stay with the army. He rather enjoyed his combat lessons.'

'Then I can only wish you good luck.' He replied. 'How is your sister in law?'

I told him all about her morning sickness, although I wasn't sure quite how much of it was real and how much was her and Alexander's ploy to spend time alone. But they were newly-weds; it was only to be expected that they wanted to spend time together, out of sight of everyone else.

I knew that if James and I had been married for five months, we would still have been finding excuses to leave the group.

At some point through this conversation, Mr Johnson noticed someone familiar behind him, and beckoned them over.

'Lady Marion, do you remember Robert?' He asked.

I looked around, to see the face of the man who had sat with me while we waited for news. He looked rather smart in clean clothes, and with his hair combed back.

'Yes, of course! How are you Robert? How's your shoulder?'

'Still healing, but much better than it was. I no longer need a sling.' He informed me. 'I can use it as long as I don't put too much weight on it.'

'That's good to hear.' I told him.

'The fracture wasn't too bad. Or at least, not as bad as it could have been.' Mr Johnson said. 'in a few days, the pain should vanish.'

'I'm very grateful to you Mr Johnson.' Robert told him. 'And to you Marion.'

His eyes went wide the moment after he said this.

'Sorry, I apologise. Lady Thorne is it now?'

I almost laughed.

'It's always been Lady Thorne. But please, just call me Marion.' I told him. 'The ceremony earlier hasn't changed anything. For me anyway.'

'MARION!' MAR- Oh, there you are.' Came the loud and familiar voice of my sister. Clara pushed through the crowd, a little out of breath.

'Yes?' I asked.

'Do you know where a physician called Mr Johnson is? Alexander sent me to get him.'

Mr Johnson perked up at the mention of his name.

'He's right here. This is Mr Johnson.' I said, gesturing to him.

Clara sighed in relief.

'Sorry to bother you, but our brother has asked if you would have a quick check on his wife. Personally, I think he's over reacting, as does she, but he wouldn't let it drop.' She told him.

'What's the matter?'

'Just nausea. Morning sickness. Scarlett says its normal, and that she will be fine, but Alexander's turned into a protective old mother hen who won't listen.'

Mr Johnson nodded.

'I will go at once. Which room is she in?'

'East wing, three doors down. Alexander will no doubt be waiting. But in all likelihood, Scar will kick him out and make him wait outside as he's beginning to get a bit annoying.'

Mr Johnson agreed, and bid us all excuse him.

'Honestly, I'd pay good money to see Scarlett tell Alexander to wait outside.' I said.

'Someone has too. He's become so insufferable since the announcement. How Scarlett's putting up with it, I'll never know.'

'It just shows he cares. My own father was terrified when my mother was pregnant with my sister.' Robert said.

At this, Clara suddenly noticed he was there.

'I'm sorry, but…you are…' She asked.

Robert coughed a little and then gave my sister a small bow.

'Robert Smith.' He said, as a way of introduction. 'I'm a soldier with the royal army. Marion here, helped mend my shoulder when I fractured it'

'You fractured your shoulder? Were you in a fight?' Clara asked.

Robert laughed.

'No, I fell over a tree root in the dark. Not very noble, I know, but it still hurt like hell.'

Clara giggled a little.

'I'm sorry, but I don't believe I know your name?' Robert asked.

'Ah, yes. Robert, this is my younger sister Clara.' I said, introducing her.

'One of the two sisters then?' He asked. 'It's nice to put a face to a name. And what a lovely face it is too.'

Clara blushed at this.

I had to bite my lip.

He was very clearly taken by her. The flirting was obvious.

'You know about me?' Clara asked.

'I might have mentioned you.' I said coyly. Clara almost glared at me.

'I wonder, Miss Clara, if maybe you would do me the honour of dancing with me later?' Robert asked boldly.

Clara seemed shocked for a moment, but then nodded.

'Of course.' She beamed.

It happened to be just at that moment that the musicians played their opening chord and the butler announced the first dance, in honour of the new Duchess.

This was the part I knew Bianca was dreading.

She would have to ask someone to dance. Someone who no doubt had the idea to marry her for her station.

We all turned toward the middle of the room, where people had moved back to allow Bianca some space. Then she appeared. I hadn't seen her since just after the ceremony. She strode into the centre, her head held high.

I wondered at who she was going to choose. She could select any of the single men in the room, but that would give them ideas.

The obvious choice was Antony, but I knew she would never do that. That would be a far too public declaration that the rumours were true.

Bianca strode forward, into the crowd, and we momentarily lost sight of her.

But when she emerged…

There was someone on her arm.

A very familiar someone.

Daniel blushed red as his sister in law led him into the centre of the room.

She chose Daniel.

I stood shocked.

But then, it made sense.

If choosing someone would give the idea of a potential match to all the surrounding highborns, then it would make sense to choose someone everyone knew she would never consider. Her brother. He was also six years younger than her.

Daniel also happened to be the best dancer in the family.

Smart choice.

The conductor of the orchestra lifted his baton, and the musicians all began to play.

A gavotte.

One of Daniel's specialities.

He bowed with an extra flourish, now well aware of all eyes on him.

My brother loved attention. And no doubt he was loving having everyone stare at him. This was his chance to show off to all the young ladies of the room.

I almost rolled my eyes at how predictable he was.

Bianca gave him a short curtsey, something else I had never seen her do.

Then, Daniel offered her his arm, and they stepped out in time.

One, two.

One, two.

Spin the lady around.

One, two.

One, two.

Change places.

I knew this dance.

It had been on the ones we had been taught by…

By James.

In those two short weeks we had in preparation for Ella's ball. He had taught us all this dance.

And I had danced it with him.

I could still remember the way his arm felt under my fingers, his hand on my back. The way the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at me, spinning me around him.

A dull ache began to build in my chest.

The memories still hurt. They hadn't hurt as much recently, when I talked about him with Christopher, or his other friends.

But, they hadn't been my experience of him.

This had been the James I knew. I had danced with him. He had held me in his arms, and counted out that beat, and made us go over it again and again until we were perfect.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Robert turn to stare at my sister.

He was clearly quite taken with her already. But she did look a sight, in her ball gown and new jewellery.

Clara was seventeen. She had all of that ahead of her.

But I had already had mine.

And yes, I might one day move on, but there was some part of me that knew I would never share what I had with James with anyone else. That was between us. Our love would be different to my love of anyone else.

And it would always hurt, and never fade.

No matter how much time passed.

I would never dance this dance with him again.

We would never share what we had shared again.

It was the finality of it that hurt. The knowledge that there was no hope, nothing to look forward to.

All I could do was watch. Watch as Daniel and Bianca danced that dance, and when it came to the end, everyone burst into applause.

But I couldn't lift my hands.

Couldn't do anything as Daniel lifted Bianca's arm in front of him, and turned to the crowd to announce.

'Your royal highness's, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Duchess Bianca Knox.'

More thunderous applause echoed across the hall. Bianca could only stand there and take it all in.

But when her eyes met my own, that's when I finally woke up.

Today was her day. A day of celebration.

It was not the time to be dwelling on the past. Not a time for grieving. I had the rest of my life to do that if I so wished.

Today was for Bianca. And she deserved for me to grit my teeth and smile for her. It would ruin her day to know I wasn't having a good time.

The conductor announced the next dance, and several people took up spots in the space, including Rose and Philip, who had appeared from nowhere.

Bianca however, managed to escape, and made her way over to me.

'Thank goodness that's over.' She whispered under her breath as she reached me.

'Not fun?' I asked

'I don't like everyone staring. Especially at my dancing.'

'You seemed to do a good job of hiding it.'

'Daniel's a good partner, and as much as I hate to admit it, but this dress does have its uses when it comes to concealing bad footwork. Can I help you?' Bianca asked in a much louder voice, looking over my shoulder.

I glanced behind me to see Robert staring.

'No, I'm sorry…I just…I've never seen you…this close.' He admitted.

'What?' Bianca cried.

'He was a soldier at the war camp. Robert Smith, meet the new Duchess.'

He bowed a little out of respect.

'Oh, don't be scared of Bea.' Clara told him. 'Now, are we having this dance or not?'

Robert seemed to snap back into his senses, and offered his arm to my sister, and together, they walked to a free spot in the centre.

'And he is?' Bianca asked, glaring after him.

'He fractured his shoulder whilst looking for Scarlett. I tended to him after you screamed at me for making you sleep. I may have…outpoured my frustrations onto him. I needed someone to scream to.' I told her.

'Ah.' Bianca noted. 'And Clara?'

'Just took a shine to her, asked her to dance. Why, is something wrong with that?' I asked.

Bea shook her head.

'No. But he better be on his guard. I may be a Duchess now, but that makes me even more deadly that I was before over the matter of feelings in this family.'

'I'll be sure to get Clara to remind him that if he does anything to harm her, he has to get through both me and you. But they're having one dance. I highly doubt it will be anything serious. I've danced with men before that I couldn't even place of the face of.'

'Yes, but you're not Clara. She'll be planning their wedding right now, and picking out flowers for the church.' Bianca sighed.

I rolled my eyes at her.

'Anyway, well done for getting through that.' I told her.

'That was the easy bit. It was those ladies who think I suffered so much for living with lowborns. I wanted to smack them across the face several times.' Bianca admitted.

'Oh yes, you were so unhappy with us.' I said sarcastically. 'That's why we've all moved into the palace with you.'

'Right now, I am very glad that I spent most of that time robbing these damned highborns. There are certain men here that I recognise that don't know it was me that made their purses quite a bit lighter.' She chuckled.

My mouth fell open in shock.

'So there are people here you stole from, now congratulating you on your triumph of justice. Talk about irony.' I said.

Bianca just laughed.

'Sometimes, I love the way this all turned out.'

'So do I.' I replied with a smile.

But then, my smile dropped.

As I spotted someone across the room I never wished to set eyes on again.

But there they were.

Standing as plain as day.

'Arry?' Bianca asked.

I didn't reply.

'Arry? Are you alright?'

'As Duchess,' I managed to ground out, 'Can you give me permission to murder someone?'

Bianca stepped back.

'Arry, what is it?' She asked, concerned.

I only lifted my hand and pointed to someone across the room, wearing the tightest corset possible.

'And that is?' Bianca asked, staring at the woman.

'That.' I said, 'Is Lady Imogen Clifton.'

Bianca recognised the name. Her face showed it.

'How the hell did she get here?' I asked. 'I never saw her name on any guest list.'

'Well, let's go over there and ask. And maybe do some murdering.' Bianca told me.

She took my hand, and we moved around the edge of the room, avoiding the dancers, and drew ever closer to the bitch.

This woman had been after James.

She had ruined that night for me. Flirting and trying to seduce my husband.

And I hated her for it.

The memory of that night should have been full of love, but large amount of it was my feeling of abandonment and my fight with James.

A fight, she had caused.

We skirted the edge of the room, but then suddenly, we were stopped.

'There you are.' Said someone, as their hand closed around Bianca's arm.

Bianca looked like she was going to fight, but stopped the moment she turned to see who spoke.

Antony stepped forward.

'I've been looking all over for you.' He told her. 'Hello Marion, enjoying the ball?'

'No, not really.' I told him through gritted teeth.

'Someone decided to arrive uninvited.' Bianca told him. 'A certain Imogen Clifton.'

It took Antony a moment to make the connection between the name, and that night. But to be fair to him, he had drunk quiet a lot of wine, and had been a little unsteady on his feet.

'Oh…oh!' He cried, once he worked it out. 'What does she want?'

'We don't know. But I'd quite like to give her a piece of my mind.' I told him.

'Well, can I join you? I've known her a little longer than you, and would also rather like to see her put in her place.' Antony asked.

'Of course, the more accomplices in murder, the better.' Bianca muttered.

The three of us marched around the room until we reached the group of ladies that were stood with her.

One of them noticed the approach of Bianca, and gasped, before falling into a curtsey.

The others all followed suit.

Including her.

'Good evening ladies.' Bianca greeted them all. 'You all seem to know me, but I don't know you.'

'We know your sister, your grace.' One of the ladies at the front answered. 'We were her friends, before she was married.'

This was clearly the wrong response. Bianca's clenched fist was proof of that.

Scarlett hadn't had any friends. She'd had ladies who hung around her, leeching of her power and naivety. She had despised them, but hadn't known how to get away from them. She had told us on many occasions.

'Is that so?' Bianca answered in a low voice. 'Well, if you were such good friends with Scarlett, how come she didn't tell us that you were all coming tonight?'

The one at the front shrugged.

'We wanted it to be a surprise for her.'

'So, you simply arrived, uninvited?' Antony asked her.

'I'm sure Scarlett just forgot to put us on the list. Someone said she had been ill; it was clearly a mistake.'

'I was in charge of the guest list, and I assure you, there was no mistake made.' I informed them.

'Well, I'm sure Scarlett would have changed that, had she been well enough.' Another simpering Lady argued.

'Oh, I don't know about that. In fact, Lady Imogen, I distinctly remember your name being spoken as being left off the guest list.' Antony told them.

Lady Imogen went deathly white.

And I felt quite a large amount of satisfaction at seeing it. Her complexion only stood out against her bright red dress.

Lady Imogen glared at Antony, and then turned her gaze to me.

'That is highly unfair, Lord Vaughn. If this woman was left in charge of the guest list, without the input of her superiors, then no wonder I was left off. She is an unreliable judge of character.' She snarled.

'This Lady.' Antony cried, emphasising my title, 'Is a perfectly good judge of Character. I agree with her decision to leave you out.'

'Oh, so she got to you too! Did she have to take you to her bed as she did with the last one? Are we to expect a notice of a secret wedding again?

Blind hot rage exploded through me.

'Oh, were you upset you weren't invited to James's wedding?' I asked her, 'Or were you upset you weren't the bride?

'Still the jumped up little whore you were when last we met.' She snarled. 'With no husband to protect you this time.'

At this, Bianca intervened.

'Lady Clifton, I will not have you spreading vile and untrue rumours about my sister in law. Now please, take your leave, before I have you thrown out.'

Imogen hardly moved.

I could hardly think, there was so much anger within me.

'This never would have happened is Duchess Nerissa hadn't been removed. She didn't let scum inhabit these halls.' Imogen spat.

That was the last straw.

'LADY IMOGEN!' I cried. 'Please will you follow me.'

'Marion!' Bianca whispered in warning.

'Fine. I'll follow the scullery maid.' She sneered.

I turned around and began to make my way through the crowd. I heard several pairs of footsteps behind me, indicating that Bianca and Antony had decided to follow. It was probably a wise decision.

We almost got to the door, when I heard her voice snake over my shoulder.

'You're just a whore. James made the biggest mistake of his life when he married you. He would still be here if it wasn't for you. It's such a shame he had to die in your arms, instead of in mine, content and happy. That's all your good for, warming his bed. He would have left you for me in time. You would have seen.'

We passed through the doorway, and into the cool air of the entrance hall.

I wasn't sure what exactly triggered it, but one second my hands were by my side.

Then, as her words hit me, I moved.

My hand moved up and up, higher and higher.

Until the palm of my hand collided with her face, and an almighty smack sounded.

Lady Imogen fell to the side, her hands moving up to cradle her cheek.

But my rage had not subsided.

She steadied herself, and pulled herself back upright, her face showing all the hatred she felt for me.

But her face was hit by my hand again.

Harder this time.

She fell to her knees and cried out in pain.

Leaning over her, I grasped her hair, relishing in the cry of pain she made.

'I am no whore. James loved me and not you. He despised you, he told me so himself. You ruined the final night we had together, and I will never forgive you for that.' I told her in a low voice. 'So if you dare say or do anything to hurt me again, I will not hesitate to make sure you are thrown out of society for good. Having a Duchess for a sister can be a very useful thing.' I threatened.

'You bitch. You lowborn rat. James deserved much better.'

'Maybe he did. Most likely he did. But for better or worse, he chose me. And he deserved much better than you.'

Imogen's lip began to tremble as I released her. She immediately turned to Bianca.

'Did you see what she did. She's an animal, who needs to be controlled.'

'See what?' Bianca replied. 'I only saw you trip over your dress. What did you see Antony?'

Antony shrugged. 'Just Lady Imogen being clumsy, in a place she doesn't belong.'

Imogen let out a frustrated scream before quickly picking herself up off the floor.

'I would suggest you leave. You clearly have no place here.' I told her.

She glared at me, before turning her heel and marching away, down the corridor and out of sight.

'The second slap was maybe a little uncalled for.' Bianca reasoned.

'I don't care. I'm done with being the bigger person, and always putting up with everything. She ruined the ball for me and made me miserable. She deserved it.' I told them.

A moment of silence.

'Well, I agree with you. She's a weasel who had been a thorn in James's side for years. He would have slapped her today as well.' Antony agreed.

'If it had been any other event…' I said, 'But not today. We won, and I'm celebrating, she shouldn't get to be a part of that.'

Bianca only shrugged.

'What are you all doing out here?' Someone asked from down the corridor. We looked around to see Alexander striding towards us.

'Just dealing with uninvited guests.' I told him. 'Why are you here, and not with Scarlett?'

'She threw me out of the room. Said I was being unreasonable.'

'And were you?' I asked.

'I'm just concerned! I'm allowed to be.'

I could only roll my eyes.

'Yes, but I think you're taking it a little too far. She's a person, not a piece of glass. She's not going to break if she walks around the palace by herself!' Bianca told him.

'She needs to be careful! And she needs to keep drinking water. All this throwing up; it's going to have an effect on her. And the baby.' Alexander argued.

'No one's disagreeing with you, but you tend to be a little on the over protective side.' I said.

'Even I've noticed, and I don't live with you.' Antony told him.

'Here you all are!' Came another voice from the door. Daniel.

'It's a ball. For goodness sake, dance! Bea, there are people asking after you, and if you don't go and talk to them, they will come looking for you.' He said. 'Now, all of you, move!'

Too stunned to do anything else, we all obeyed without question.

Bianca was soon swept away by more highborns desperate to make a good impression on the new Duchess. Alexander went off in a sulk in the corner, and Daniel no doubt went off to find more girls to try and win a dance with them.

'Shall we? For old time's sakes?' Antony asked me, extending his hand.

I nodded.

'It will be my honour, Lord Vaughn.'

'The honour is all mine, Lady Thorne.'

We joined in dancing, staying close to the edge of the room. A minuet this time.

'Would you keep the name?' Antony asked suddenly, about midway through the dance.

'The name?'

'Lady Thorne.' He replied bluntly. 'Rose made it so that if you remarried, you would remain a Lady. Would you consider it… remarrying?'

I almost faltered a step.

'I don't know. I haven't thought about it.' I told him honestly.

'Because I think he would have wanted you to.' Antony replied. 'Maybe not straight away, but…I think in the end, he would want you to be happy.'

'He told me he wanted me to. But over the past year, I…I never…I couldn't….' Was all I could say.

Antony nodded.

'I think you deserve to be happy Marion. After all of this, you deserve whatever you desire. And who knows, you might be perfectly happy like this, with your family for the rest of your life. You shouldn't have to marry to be happy.' He observed, 'But it's just a shame, that's all.'

'What's a shame?'

'You are the last Thorne. After you, there will cease to be a Thorne family. James always joked about how he was going to have a large family and found a dynasty, and rule the world through them. But there's only you left. And if you marry again…'

'I would be letting his name die.' I finished.

It happened to be at that moment that the orchestra played its final chord, and the dance ended.

Antony bowed to me, and I curtsied back.

'I know it's an insignificant thing, a name. But for most of my life, there has always been a Thorne who has been my friend. And I know that you will remain my friend, regardless of whether you remarry. But…it will be strange.' He said.

I nodded.

'Well, there are no plans for anything like that in the near future. And I highly doubt there will be. There hasn't been a single gentleman all night who has glanced in my direction anyway.' I told him.

Antony shook his head, but smiled.

'Surely Marion, you know it's not because you aren't attractive.'

'Yes, I know that. It's because I'm too high and mighty for them all. They're all too scared of me, and rightly so.' I joked.

Antony laughed a little at that.

'We'll see what we can do about spreading a rumour that you're not something to fear.'

'Oh no, don't. I rather like it. The power has gone straight to my head.'

'Have it your own way.' Antony said in defeat.

'Have what her own way?'

Christopher had somehow managed to find us in the crowd, and was standing right next to us. He still held a rather small adorable boy in his arms.

'Marion likes having all the men here scared to approach her. She's above them all now.' Antony replied. 'Your Aunty Marion wants to scare all the men away.' He said to Jonathan.

'And your Uncle Antony can't take a joke.' I told them.

Jonathan only rested his head on his father's shoulder.

'He's exhausted. He missed his nap this afternoon, and now I think he needs his bed.' Christopher said, 'Isn't that right?'

Jonathan simply pushed his face further into his shoulder.

'Would you mind showing me where the nursery is? And would you get a maid to watch him?' Christopher asked me.

'Of course. But Gwen, Robbie, Tom and Richard might already be up there. I'm sure they'd watch him. Richard certainly would.'

Christopher only nodded, and I led him out of the hall, up the stairs and along the corridor to the east wing, and then up to the nursery.

And sure enough, the youngest three were there. Playing with cards.

'Jonathan's taking that bed over by the window. Could you find somewhere else to play for a little while?' I asked them. 'And do you know where Richard is?'

'In the library. Where else would he be?' Tom answered.

'Would you mind fetching him? We can't leave Jonathan here by himself. Tell him he can bring a mountain of books, as long as he makes sure he goes to sleep.'

Christopher had moved to set his son down, and got him changed for bed. Jonathan started yawning adorably, his eyes scrunching up, and his mouth opening impossibly wide for his small face. The younger three disappeared to Robbie's bedroom, and by the time Richard appeared, Christopher and I had gotten Jonathan into his cot.

I briefly introduced Richard to Jonathan, and Christopher explained that he was going to be looking after him, and that he, himself would only be downstairs if he needed anything.

I wasn't sure how much Jonathan heard, as he was half asleep the whole time.

Christopher kissed the top of his son's head, bid him goodnight, and thanked Richard for helping. Then, the two of us left the nursery together.

'He really is a little angel, isn't he!' I said, on the way back down.

'Oh, he is my pride and joy.' Christopher replied. 'He's so much like his mother.'

That immediately put a damper on our conversation.

We fell silent for a few moments.

'What is it like?' I asked, 'To share that with someone? An entire human life?'

I knew what it was like to look after someone. After my mother had passed, many of her duties had fallen to me. And then after my father, I had become more parent to my siblings than a sister. Especially to the younger ones.

The actual day to day of caring for someone who was dependent on you, I knew how that felt.

But to know that you and someone else actually created that life? To choose to have that, not have to inherit the duties due to tragedy. To know you were both responsible for this person you brought into the world.

It was a choice I had never had the chance to make. A choice James and I had never made. And would never get the chance to.

Christopher shrugged.

'I can't really describe it. That feeling of…I don't even know what comes close. It's more than love. It's love and joy and pride…and fear that you will do something wrong. It's terrifying knowing that if anything goes wrong, that will be on you. So having someone there who also has to go through the same as you, it's a comfort and a blessing. But it's still the most terrifying thing I have ever done in my life. And now there's two of them!'

'Not even walking into a war camp was as scary?'

'Not even close. And I found it hard to watch Ella suffer so much to bring him into the world. Those months…the pain and exhaustion were obvious to everyone. And I could do nothing about it. Only wait. And then, when the day came, she was in so much pain, and I just felt useless. Utterly useless. So…I did share it with her, but I could never experience what she did. And then, she did it all over again, same smile on her face. I will never not be grateful to her for giving me our two children. And I know I have to spend the rest of my life making sure no harm comes to either of them, to begin to repay her for them.'

'I'm sure Ella would say there was nothing to repay.' I admitted. I might not be talking to here, but I knew that much about her.

'You're right about that. But I'm glad to do it. Jonathan's going to grow up to be Duke someday, and Ellie will be a Lady. I might not have to worry about putting food in their mouths, but I have to prepare them for the power they will inherit. I've only been Duke for a year, but I've already had to make decision that have altered poor men's lives. Sometimes I can't sleep because of it. Jonathan's going to have to know this one day, and I dread that.'

Christopher sighed.

'But hopefully, not for many many years.' I told him.

He shook his head.

'No, hopefully not.' He agreed.

We had reached the main hall again, and the noise seemed to surround us.

'Isn't that Clara dancing with the same man she was earlier?' Christopher asked, pointing into the centre of the room.

I glanced in the direction he was point, and sure enough, Clara was dancing with Robert. It had been a good while since they had started dancing. Maybe Bianca was right, and Clara was planning their wedding right at this second.

'Yes. That's Robert.' I told him.

'And Daniel is with…' Christopher said, pointing to the left.

'I think that's the third girl of the night. The first one was blonde, and the other one was wearing blue.' I explained, looking at the girl in green.

'How do you keep track of them all? I struggle with only two.'

'Well, the older ones are nice and easy. They all are independent now. Alexander has a baby on the way! And Richard, Tom and Robbie won't be around for much longer.'

Christopher looked rather confused by that statement.

'They won't be living with us. They're going to go away to school.' I said.

It was something that we had all agreed on only a few days ago. The three boys had all been thrilled at the news.

'In fact, they're going to Ashburne.' I told him.

Christopher beamed at the mention of his old school.

'Oh, they're going to love it! Some of the best years of my life were spent there.' He said excitedly. 'But why now? Richard's sixteen, he's only got another two years left.'

'Well, we weren't exactly in a position to send them and pay for it before, were we?' I told him. 'But Bianca has generously offered to pay for it. She had a tutor, and didn't enjoy her lessons much. But both her and Scarlett have said how much they appreciated their education. We can all read and write, but past that, I can't do much. So, they're all rather excited at the idea of going to school.'

'You've all managed without schooling.'

'Yes, but I was a scullery maid, and then a seamstress. I didn't need it. But now that their sister in law is a Duchess, I highly doubt they will be looking for work as servants. They could be anything they want to be! I never got that, and I wish that I had.'

Christopher smiled.

'They will love it there. And they will make friends that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.'

I nodded.

'Richard is very much looking forward to seeing this famous library that James told him about. Whereas I think Tom is more looking forward to climbing out of the windows like you all did.'

'I wonder if they still have the same desks. James carved his name into several of them. I was always too scared to do it, in case we got caught.' Christopher told me. 'Tell them to look for them.'

'I will do. I'm just slightly scared that they'll be picked on for not having a title.'

'I think the fact they have a Duchess for a sister in law will count for a lot. Especially if Bianca visits them and lets a little of her true nature show. No one will think of offending her, they'd all be too terrified.'

'You are very right there.' I admitted. Having Bianca for a sister meant that they were unlikely to be crossed by anyone.

We continued to talk about Ashburne for a little while more, before Christopher suddenly asked me to dance.

'It's a ball. And as Ella isn't here, I find myself without a partner.' He explained.

'Very well.' I surrendered, as we joined the dancing crowd.

After that, time passed quickly. Christopher and I danced two dances, before a young man cut in and asked if I'd dance with him next. He was the first of four men who asked me to dance that night, but I didn't remember the names of any of them. I wasn't sure how much of it was because of Antony's influence. I had admitted to him earlier that no one had asked me, and I definitely saw him whisper to at least one of the men before they approached me.

I didn't mind though. He was trying his best to make the night enjoyable for me.

I did notice that Bianca and Antony did share a dance. Right in the middle of the ball, when no one would remember.

At some point during the evening, Scarlett came back downstairs, still looking a little pale, but much better than she had done. She and Alexander shared a dance or two, but she mainly sat on the edge of the room.

Towards the end of the evening, I was approached by Rose and Philip. Embracing Rose as an old friend, I knew I could hear ladies whispering behind me. Good for nothing gossips.

Rose asked about the war camp, and what Philip was like. And I asked her about the new titles.

She said that it had been her decision. Her first solo act as a royal. To do something without her parent's telling her to. She'd had them approve it, of course, but it had been her own actions.

She was clearly settling in to her place. It had taken her over a year to feel comfortable around her family and with her new station, but I think now she had finally figured out how to use the power she had been given. And she seemed all the happier for it.

We didn't talk for long. It was getting late, well past midnight, and they were on their way to bed. I had reserved the most grand guest room we had for the prince and princess, despite the fact I knew exactly how she had lived for all those years growing up.

Lord Edward and Lady Annette also came to say goodnight on the way up to bed. I congratulated them on their imminent arrival, and asked after their son. I had forgotten his name. Harry? Harvey?

Annette said that Henry was well and was now crawling around everywhere. They were unable to keep track of him all the time. But she yawned as she spoke, so we briefly bid each other goodnight, with the promise to talk more in the morning.

And with that, I turned back to the ballroom to discover that most people had gone to bed.

A few remained, including Daniel and another girl, this time in a pink dress, Bianca, and Clara and Robert.

I somehow managed to make my way over to Bianca, but I could feel the exhaustion settling within me.

'You look like you're about to faint.' Bianca said, 'Go to bed.'

'I will do, in a minute.' I told her, and then gestured discreetly to Clara and Robert at the edge of the room. 'Have they been like this all night?'

Bianca nodded.

'All the time I've seen them.'

'She really will be planning their wedding now.' I whispered. 'I only hope she isn't too heartbroken.'

Bianca frowned.

'Why would she be heartbroken? Do you know something about him that I should know? Something that gives me cause to slap him?' She asked.

'Think about it Bea. He's a soldier in the royal army. It's not like he lives just down the road, and they can see each other every day. He's going to be off at the royal palace, or shipped off to war if he's needed. He's a very pleasant man, but I can't really see it working.'

Bianca could only reply with 'Oh.'

'But who knows? Scarlett and Alexander somehow managed it, and she lived two days walk away. But Alexander was more or less free to go when he wished. Robert, I don't think will be. He will have duties and commands. Only time will tell.'

'You're in a pessimistic mood today, aren't you!' Bianca noted.

'I'm what?'

'Usually, you're all, if they love each other, it will work out. That's how you were with Scar and the overprotective mother hen.'

I almost laughed. 'I think I'm just tired. I might feel different in the morning.'

Bea nodded.

'And, the hall looked amazing, by the way. I didn't tell you earlier, but you did a rather good job.' She told me.

'Just don't ask me to do it again any time soon. I don't think my nerves will take it.'

'I won't. But the next thing will probably be the christening of our niece, is six month's time enough notice?'

'I'll think about it in the morning.' I said yawning. 'I'm just glad we survived today.'

'So am I Marion. So am I.' Bianca admitted. 'Now the real fun begins of actually being a Duchess.'

'Tomorrow. This can all wait until tomorrow.' I said, walking away. 'I've earned my sleep.'

I didn't wait to see Bianca's response.

For I was going to bed, after a long and stressful day.

And I had most definitely earned my peaceful sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **One week later.**

Life in the palace just never seemed to slow down. Ever.

There was always something happening, or something else to do.

I woke up in the morning, and a maid delivered me breakfast in my room, despite my insistence that I was perfectly capable of getting it myself, or at least walking down to the dining room.

But the moment I finished the last bite, there was a knock at my door from someone to help me dress.

Once again, I didn't really need it, but even I had to admit they did help when it came to the strings at the back of my new dresses. They were far more complicated than my old everyday dresses. I had thought I'd simply wear my old ones, but they had been worn and mended so many times, that one of the maids had thought it best that we just threw them away; the material was so threadbare.

The moment the maid left, I grabbed the emerald I always left on my dressing room table and fastened it around my neck.

Then, it was downstairs, to work.

Bianca was always up as early as I was, old habits from the forest, and she started her business early as well.

She always had a mountain of paperwork to sort through. Bits and pieces left over from the siege, things Nerissa had forgotten to do.

I had volunteered myself for the task of sorting through her new papers.

Why I volunteered myself, I forget. It had only been a week, and I was already drowning in it.

Most of it was papers to read over and sign. Petitions, legal documents, certificates of land ownership. They didn't take very long, unless it was something of great importance that needed to be examined in great detail.

No, the thing that took the longest was the account books.

It wasn't just the spending part of it, that was easy. It was the rents collected from the tenants of the county, and calculating the interest owed on loans. And if someone was late with their payments, it made everything just more and more complicated.

Bianca didn't want to be a greedy Duchess, by simply taking from the people and giving nothing back. But she was also owed money. She had a fair rate of taxation, which was reasonable, and she didn't charge extortionate rents.

And while we lived in a great deal more comfort than anyone else in the county, we did need the money to pay the servants, and to pay the crown. And to give the money back to the more in need areas. Other than Bianca's ball the week before, we didn't plan on spending large amounts of money on lavish objects or over the top entertainment.

But balancing these books proved to be a monumental task. As was trying to declutter the mess Nerissa had made. She clearly had hardly looked at them, and had made many servants do it, judging by the many changes in handwriting.

So, Bianca's mornings were spent pouring over these books, while I opened the many, many letters and invitations that had been sent to her. Most of them, I ignored, and wrote back claiming she was too busy, which wasn't a lie. But the important ones, I made a note of them and wrote them in Bianca's diary. I basically controlled Bianca's social life at this point.

And she was very happy to let me do that.

She hadn't exactly had a social life before. Hiding in the forest in fear of your life didn't pair very well with attending highborn parties or ceremonies. She hadn't even been to many things while in Rault, as she was still too scared of being recognised. Scarlett's wedding was really the only thing that she had actually attended, out in the open.

I told her what she had planned for that day, and she stuck to it. I was half tempted to put in a pretend one, just to see if she'd notice. I didn't think she would.

This usually took all morning, and after we'd had a quick break for lunch, Bianca would be needed in the main hall. Bianca's subjects gathered to ask her favours, or to plead their cases. Bea sat and listened to each and every one, and thought carefully about her response. Many of them were shocked that their plea for justice was actually listened to. I guessed that Nerissa hadn't let them win before.

I didn't have to stay for the whole session. Twice this week, a servant had pulled me out of the room, and asked me to look over the menus for the next week, or to go over the schedule for which rooms needed to be cleaned out.

The ones that were being cleaned today were no longer in use.

Because the three boys who had stayed in them were no longer there.

It had been two days since Richard, Tom and Robbie had left in a carriage, bound for Ashburne School.

I didn't think I'd ever seen Richard so excited for anything in his whole life. The chance to go and shine. He'd always been the brightest of all of us, and had spent the week before he left trying to read as much as he could, so he didn't feel behind there.

Tom was also excited, but not for the academic part of it. He'd never been far away from home before. None of them had. I think he felt that he'd won some sort of freedom, and was going to get into some mischief without me or Alexander to tell him off. He'd really looked up to James, who had told him all the antics he and his friends used to get up to there. No doubt Tom would want to recreate some of them.

It was Robbie who was the apprehensive one. He was only eleven. But that was the age Christopher had gone at. James had been twelve. He worried about not having any friends, even though we had told him several times that there were going to be lots of other boys there, all wanting to make friends with him, as they were in the same position as he was. And he was going with his brothers, not alone. But it was quite obvious that under his nerves, he was quite excited as well. He had been boasting about it to Gwen.

Gwen was most aggrieved that she wasn't allowed to go. We had told her several times that not only was it a boy's boarding school, she was too young as well. They only took boys from the age of eleven. She had only just turned ten.

We had also discovered that there didn't appear to be any similar schools for girls. None at all. So even if Gwen wanted to go, there was no where we could send her. Which I thought was stupidly unfair.

Why couldn't girls be educated like boys were? We had the same brains and capacity for it. And most of the time, I would have argued that we were the more rational gender.

Bianca had suggested that we might be able to hire a governess, if Gwen really wanted lessons. But I was pretty sure that the lessons were not the part of the Ashburne experience that Gwen wanted. I knew she wanted to go away to school, and get into all sorts of adventures with friends who were her age, and not her family. That was what she was missing out on, not the actual education.

But I did think it was a good idea to get her a governess. There was very little else I could teach her, and she was going to be all on her own. The boys had gone off to school, Alexander and Scarlett had disappeared to have a week to themselves by the sea. That left only me, Bianca, Clara and Daniel. And something told me that we wouldn't have Daniel for very long either.

Although it had only been three weeks since the army had left to go back to the royal palace, and I could tell that Daniel missed it. I think he liked the routine of the drills and the lessons, and he had been rather good at his sword exercises.

As much as I didn't really want Daniel to join the army; the danger terrified me, it had been the first place where he had truly excelled. He had made friends there; he would fit in there. And as far as I knew, we weren't at war, or in any danger of being at war soon.

And he really did need to find something to do. He was just aimlessly wandering the corridors of the palace, without a purpose or occupation. But many of the things he had considered doing before, no longer seemed fitting.

He had been a servant briefly, at Ella's home with me for a few months. But with a Duchess for a sister in law, that hardly seemed appropriate. And as he had no need to work for money, he wouldn't be following in father's footsteps and become a labourer. I supposed he could have been a merchant, but he didn't like working out the mathematics involved. That had always been Richard and Alexander's domain. He could do the selling side as easily as he could breathe, but not the numbers.

So, until he figured out what he wanted to do with his life, he was with us.

Clara always seemed to be running off with one group of friends or another. Since the ball, she had managed to get herself invited to various lunches and events. She'd only been to two so far, but she was ecstatic.

This was what she had dreamed about her entire life, being a lady of society, Apparently, her lack of title was made up for with our many titles, and more specifically, Bianca's. I knew she would probably get bored of it soon, but it was nice to see her so happy. She usually had the task of looking after Gwen when she could. And no doubt she was telling her again and again what had happened at the ball.

We had all heard about it in great detail, at least four times now.

Much to my dismay, Clara seemed to have fallen for Robert, hard. According to her, he had every good value a man was capable of having. He was intelligent, kind, caring, funny, tall, handsome, adventurous, brave, loyal, and of course; romantic.

I liked Robert, I really did.

But I didn't think he quite possessed all of those qualities in the way Clara described. And if he hadn't been in the royal army, I would have no issue with them becoming better acquainted. Clara was seventeen years old, and had been dreaming of a knight in shining armour since the moment she understood what that was.

But the sad reality was that he had duties, in another palace. He didn't exactly live close by, so they could see each other all the time. They could write, but that was about all. I didn't want to see her heart get broken.

I thought that would be the end of it. One night of dancing and conversation didn't usually lead to a committed relationship. Unless you happened to be Scarlett and Alexander.

However, the way Clara was behaving lead me to believe that she certainly would be trying her best to at least keep in touch with him. So, who knew? Maybe it would work, only time would tell.

It just seemed so different, to have all of us doing our own separate things. Me, with my work, Alexander with a baby on the way, Daniel deciding his future, Clara with her new life, the boys at school and Gwen adjusting to living in a palace.

It was a far cry from all of us living together in that tiny cottage in Rault. We had all been on the same page then, all together every night. Maybe we had simply grown up, as all people must do, and grown apart.

But I missed those times when we would all just play outside in the garden, or gather round the fire with our blankets and tell stories, with Mother and Father watching from their chairs. I had been but a child then. Before the manor house, before mother had passed. Gwen and Robbie had only been babies; Gwen had been two years old when I became a maid.

How different life had been. Before the curse and marriages and deaths. My greatest ambition in life had been to be a servant, who married a nice boy from the village. I had dreamed of becoming a lady, but had never thought it possible.

Our entire lives had been laid out before us. I would have been a servant, as would Clara. Alexander would have worked in the fields with father, and maybe a few of my brothers. Daniel might have become a footman, possibly a butler, if he kept his head down. Or he might have been thrown out for his impertinent manner, and had to work in the fields as well. And Gwen most likely would have grown up to be like me and Clara, or maybe been a seamstress or simply somebody's wife.

How simple it all seemed. To not have to think about what we wanted to do. We needed the money, so we took any work.

Now, we had no need of money, so actually had to decide what to fill our days with.

We might have been happy, just living as we were. Our simple, lowborn life.

Our happy life.

But that curse changed everything. That curse set us on a path that led us to right here, to this palace.

I had been friends with Bianca long before the curse took effect, but if I hadn't had to marry James, I never would have had the courage, or title, to go to the court and help overthrow Nerissa. I would have just been a friend of an outlaw, nothing more.

And Alexander and Scarlett would never have met. If we had never gone to that ball, there would be no question of their meeting. Scarlett had had a close eye on her, and would never have crossed Alexander's path.

How many things wouldn't have happened if that curse hadn't taken effect on my family? How would this past year and a half have played out?

I knew I would never know the answer to that. But I did wonder.

'Are we almost done?' Bianca asked me, looking up from her desk, 'I don't think my eyes can take any more.'

I glanced to the clock on the wall, and then down at the different piles I had organised.

'I think so, there's nothing urgent that can't wait until tomorrow.' I told her.

'Oh, thank goodness for that.' Bianca said, slumping back in her chair, 'The last one!'

It was late, almost dinner time. Bea had attended her audience session, but had returned to find more paperwork cluttering her desk. So, instead of having a few hours to amuse ourselves, we had sat back down in these very uncomfortable seats, and battled on through it.

We really needed to get cushions for these chairs. Every night, I went to bed with the most terrible back ache. And I couldn't take it much longer.

I just had to keep reminding myself that the work would lessen over time. It was just because Nerissa hadn't done much of this, and had left it all to us. Once we caught up with it, we only had to stay on top of it, which was manageable. In fact, Bianca could do it herself. All the other Dukes seemed to be able to.

It would get easier. This wasn't forever.

I had to keep repeating these words to myself. But with every new arrival of more papers, the less I believed it. Every time the door opened, I wanted to scream at the poor maid or footman who had been sent to give us more to do. I knew it wasn't their fault, but they just wouldn't stop bringing paper!

It was driving me slowly insane.

I huffed as I picked up the final page for the day. A letter, addressed to me.

That was a rare enough thing in itself. However, I did recognise the rather untidy handwriting.

It was Alexander.

'Oh, a letter from the lovebirds.' I said, tearing the envelope open.

'What's he written now? Scar is still with child, and he must protect her, lest a drop of water fall on her head?' Bianca teased.

I glanced over the letter quickly.

'He says that they're planning to stay for another week. The sea air has managed to cure Scarlett's sickness, so they're going to stay. Back in time for Clara's birthday.'

'As much as I'm glad Scarlett is feeling better, it means she is there, free of illness and enjoying herself, while I'm here, dealing with all of this.' Bianca complained, gesturing to her very full desk. 'It's almost as if we won, so now it's time to go on holiday, and not do any of the actual work.'

'I'm sure she'll help when she gets back.'

'Not if she suddenly becomes ill again. 'Oh dear Bea!'' Bianca imitated in her sister's voice, 'I just feel so dreadful. I have to be by the sea, lazying around, or I simply can't do anything but keep to my rooms with my husband. Yes, I'm certainly ill, and not just using this as an excuse.'

The corner of my mouth twisted up a little at that. They did spend a rather long amount of time locked in their bedroom, claiming illness. But really, if Scarlett was as ill as she claimed, surely she didn't need Alexander there all the time. She would be sleeping and resting, not talking to him. I did wonder how much was just an excuse.

I pushed the letter back into the envelope and placed it in the pocket of my dress. No doubt someone would want to read it later.

'I'm going to check on dinner. Don't be too long.' I told Bea.

She half mumbled something with a grunt, and I took that to mean she wouldn't.

So, I finally stood up, out of the chair that had been tormenting me all day, and stretched my legs for the first time in hours.

As I walked out of Bianca's study, I pressed down on the aching muscles of my shoulder, and almost gasped at the relief.

It had only been a week! And I wasn't even the one doing all the decision making. I was simply sorting and replying to letters, and I was in desperate need of a break.

Maybe I would also go somewhere for a while, just to get away from it all, like my brother.

Though, not the sea.

I didn't think I'd be able to face going back there.

Not again. Not alone.

We had been so happy there, me and James. For that one perfect week by the sea.

But to have to face going there alone…

I knew I wasn't strong enough to stand that. Too many memories, too much grief that I'd worked too hard to overcome.

Maybe somewhere in the forest? Yes, James had courted me in a cottage in the forest, but my family had been there. It was different thinking about a place where just the two of us had been.

I yearned to do something more than just sift through papers. I hadn't read anything for leisure in far too long. I hadn't had time for books, or stories. I used to treasure those Sunday's I had off, where I could disappear into the forest and do nothing but bury myself in a familiar story.

No, it had been nearly a year since I had read anything. My mind had been too occupied with my grief and then the war camp to even think about it.

But now I thought about it, I had almost been in a story myself. If having a curse placed on your family, and then falling in love and losing him, followed by a war against a corrupt Duchess wasn't a good plot for a story, then I didn't know what was. It was less fun to live through though, than to read about.

Maybe I could write my story? I always used to love writing and telling stories to my siblings. And to Ella. I hardly had to use my imagination, I had lived through it all. It was all there, just ready to be told.

Maybe…one day…when I had time…

I had reached the nursery before I knew it, and I pushed open the door, to find it empty. However, a loud giggle sounded through the room, coming from the corridor in front of me.

'There you are!' Clara shouted as she ran across the corridor and tore back the tapestry, which did very little to hide a pair of blue shoes at the bottom. Gwen squealed as Clara grabbed her as she tried to run.

'Nice to see someone having fun.' I noted, making them both glance to me.

'Rough day?' Clara asked, releasing her grip on Gwen.

'Just long.' I replied.

'You should play with us. It's much more fun than those boring letters.' Gwen said.

'I wish I could. But there just too many of them.' I sighed. 'One day, I will be able to play.'

'You always say that, but never do.' Gwen complained.

I didn't really have anything to say back to her. She was right. I was always busy, and Gwen was always pushed unfairly to the bottom of my priority list.

'I know. I'm sorry. But, I hear there's cake for dessert tonight. And speaking of which, dinner's ready.' I told them.

Gwen was still glaring at me, and I didn't have the strength to argue with her.

'Please? Dinner?' I begged.

Gwen huffed, but she did move. I glanced to Clara, who could only shrug her shoulders.

I didn't know what else I could do. Bianca needed my help, and it was only temporary. But after the past year, and then the war camp, I hadn't had much time for my younger siblings. They generally entertained themselves, they just needed someone to watch to make sure they didn't accidentally kill each other.

But now, with the boys gone, Gwen was left all alone. And I didn't have time to play with her. Clara and Daniel did, but that was all. Out of seven siblings, only two were still in her day to day life. I saw her at dinner times, but that was about it.

I just didn't know what else I could do. All I could think was that once the work started to go down, I should really spend some time with my sisters. I hadn't in so long, and it showed.

The three of us began to walk down to the dining room, and Clara ran off to collect Daniel from…where ever he was. I didn't even know what he did with his days any more.

I almost slumped into my chair, and Gwen sat across from me. And she still didn't look happy. But she didn't say anything, and I was too tired to start a conversation.

Eventually, Daniel and Clara joined us, and Gwen spoke to them. Not to me, I noticed. I would have tried to include myself, but my head just wasn't in the right place.

By the time the footman announced that they were about to begin serving, Bianca still hadn't arrived.

It still felt strange, to only have three of my siblings here. And it wasn't just the youngest three, as I assumed it would be at some point, when everyone else grew up and moved away, or got married, or had houses of their own.

The servants brought in our plates, something that I was still not used to either. It had felt very special when I had stayed at Ella's palace before, or at the Royal palace, but it was odd to know that this was going to be every day, not just as a treat. We thanked them, which was something they were not accustomed to. It just proved what sort of a woman Nerissa had been like.

We began to eat. Bea usually insisted on it. We'd waited for her before, but all our food got cold, and then she scolded us for doing something so stupid. So we just began. And as it had been a long day, I allowed myself to have one glass of wine, just to take the edge of today.

We had almost finished by the time Bianca wandered through the door. She looked even more ragged than me, which was quite a feat.

So, I did the only thing I could.

I pushed the wine bottle that had been next to me towards her, and when she noticed, she glanced up.

I only raised my eyebrows.

'I don't have a glass.'

'Just drink from the bottle. It's fine.' I insisted.

At that, she did. One giant gulp, straight from the bottle to her lips.

'Oh, that's better.' She sighed, placing it down.

'It smells horrid.' Gwen complained.

'That's because your ten. When you grow up, you'll understand, that this is the nicest smell in the world.' I told her.

She shook her head, and insisted that when she grew up, she would never like wine.

We all exchanged knowing glances, before chuckling a little at her statement.

'You just do that Gwen. We'll remind you of this in ten years time.' Daniel teased.

'But that's forever away. I have to live my entire life again before we get there.' She pointed out.

'It will go sooner than you think.' Bea told her. 'Much too fast.'

'Yes, but you're twenty-five. You're old.' Gwen said.

Bea huffed a laugh.

'How nice of you Gwen, to remind me how I'm practically an old woman now. I'll tell you that when you're twenty-five, and we'll see how you react.'

'Yes, but you'll be forty by then.' Gwen argued.

'Oh, stars above no!' Bea shouted. 'I really will be old!'

'It's alright, I'll look after you.' Gwen offered.

The conversation continued in much the same way for the remainder of the meal. But in the end, Bianca and I were simply too exhausted, and were almost falling asleep there and then.

So, we said goodnight to Clara and Daniel, and I took Gwen up to bed, with Bianca. Gwen was now old enough to get herself ready for bed, and all of that, but she still liked to be tucked in. So, I got changed myself, and went to tuck her in. She was already lying in her bed, a book in her hand.

'Come on, I'm going to blow the candle out.' I said.

'No! Five more minutes. Please! It's the really good part.' She pleaded.

And then she gave me that face that she knew I could never say no to.

'Fine.' I surrendered. 'You can blow out the candle when you're done. But not too long!'

Gwen nodded.

'I'm sorry if I made you feel bad about not playing.' She said in a quiet voice.

That made me stop.

'Why? You shouldn't apologise.' I said, crouching by her bedside. 'I haven't really been around much.'

'You're always too busy. And before that, you were too sad. I just want some time where you're happy enough to play. It used to cheer you up.' Gwen told me.

I stopped at how observant my baby sister had become.

'I know. It does cheer me up.' I told her. 'But, after James went away…it did make me very very sad.'

'I was sad too!' Gwen argued.

'Yes, I know. I know that. And I don't want to say that one day you'll understand, because I hope you will never have to understand what it is like to lose someone like I lost him. But it's the kind of sad that makes you not want to do anything.'

'Like when Father died?' She asked, her eyes wide.

I nodded.

'Yes, like that. And I know I haven't been the greatest older sister in the world, but I am trying. I make mistakes and I'm busy. But one day, I will make it up to you. I promise.'

'Really?' She asked.

'Really really.' I told her, 'Now, light out when you finish the exciting part.'

I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.

'Goodnight Gwen.'

'Goodnight Arry.' She called, as I stood from my position and moved towards the door.

I glanced back at her one more time, before closing the door with a click.

She was growing up fast. Too fast. No longer the baby of the family, she was her own person now.

A person I had failed.

I had promised my parents when they died that I would look after and take care of them all. And while we all now want for nothing, I hadn't been there for them. I had let Gwen, Robbie and Tom grow up without me, mainly due to grief.

I had to do better.

I had a promise to keep, and I was going to see it through.

We might of defeated one of the most powerful Duchesses in the land, but I had failed my family. And I needed to put that right.

However, there was only one thing I could think of the moment I entered my bedroom.

How incredibly comfortable my bed looked.

So, without wasting any time, I resolved to think more about the issue in the morning.

As I fell into bed, and sunk into the mattress; the world around me fell away.

And I succumbed to the blissful release of sleep.

At last, the palace stopped moving. And everything was silent.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen.**

 **One month later.**

Things had finally begun to calm down.

As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I finally started to feel like everything was going right.

The enormous amount of work had slowly started to decrease. After a month of working on all the papers that had been left, the pile had finally begun to diminish. Every day, the maids walked through the door less and less, and my raging anger had died away.

Now the end was in sight.

I was no longer as exhausted as I had been. I wasn't sure if I had simply gotten used to it, or if the work load had decreased enough to leave me with some energy at the end of the day.

And due to this, I had made good on my promise to be a better sister.

Alexander and Scarlett had returned from the holiday by the sea, her morning sickness had now almost entirely passed. And Clara had turned eighteen, and we held her a small ball in celebration. Although Robert couldn't get away to join us, which put a bit of a cloud over the day. It had been fine, and we'd eaten enough cake to last us through the rest of the year. But without our three youngest brothers, it had felt very odd. But the promise I had tried to keep was with Gwen.

I had spent more time with Gwen. She even sat with me in the office and helped me with numbers. Well, I taught her about the numbers, she listened. I wasn't much good with numbers myself but after so long at looking at these books, I finally managed to understand them. We spent more time together, after dinner and in the morning. She still was angry with me, but much less than she had been.

I was trying, I really was.

I knew I had let her down. She was still a child, and I hadn't been there for her, or my brothers. I had been so wrapped up in my own grief and thoughts that I had hardly been a part of their lives.

But it was going to get better, I was going to get better.

I had time on my side, no more starving, or cleaning, or having to spend all day working to put food on the table. There was nothing pushing on us; my family could finally be the priority, not just survival.

We had time.

The future was big, and wide, and looking rather bright.

So, for the first time in a very long time, I could sleep easy. I could fall asleep not worrying about what was going to happen tomorrow, or worrying about grief, or pain, or any of it.

For once, life was good.

And I could be happy.

So, shifting in my bed, I turned on my side, and closed my eyes.

And drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

It was pitch black when my eyes flew open.

For a second, I didn't think I had opened my eyes. But the feeling of having to blink made it clear that I was awake.

But then, the pain hit me.

It tore through my head, sudden and fast.

I'd had headaches before, but this was quite unlike anything else.

It was like my head was being split open from the inside. Right from behind my eyes to the back of my skull.

My teeth clamped down against the pain. But the pain continued to incessantly pound against my head.

Then, it only got worse.

My stomach began to feel queasy. Swirling and churning. Unable to settle.

How had I gotten so ill?

I tried to think, but my head just hurt too much.

Breathing, I just had to keep breathing.

In, and out.

Again.

And again.

But my stomach wouldn't be calm.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

I had to run. To the chamber pot, or at least some sort of bucket like thing.

It was climbing up my throat now, I could feel it.

I kicked back the covers with a tremendous amount of effort, and on shaking legs, I managed to stumble towards the chamber pot on the far side of my room.

The pain then returned to my head, and I almost screamed with it.

But not before I lost my control, and vomited into the pot.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. My muscles acted of their own accord, as my roast chicken from dinner came back out of my mouth.

Finally, my stomach stopped contracting, and I could allow some air back into my lungs. But the pounding in my head hadn't lessened at all.

Raising a shaking hand to my head, I tried to feel my temperature.

Burning. I was burning up. My entire back was drenched with sweat, making my nightgown stick rather uncomfortably to me. But I wasn't entirely sure if that was because of the sick, or the sweat.

Either way, I was not well.

Maybe the chicken? Had that made me ill?

I shivered. I couldn't tell if it was from cold or from heat.

What was happening? Why did I feel like this?

Then, the pounding in my head returned with a vengeance.

Stars above it hurt.

The pain continued, and I couldn't help but let out a long moan.

Then, the cold set in. Even though I was burning up, I had jumped out of bed into the cold air of my room.

I couldn't stop shivering. It was uncontrollable. My bed was within sight. If I could just summon the energy to get off the floor and get back in, I would feel warmer, and much better. Even if the headache wouldn't go away.

Or could I ring for a maid?

I tried to turn my head to the rope in the corner of the room, but found it almost impossible. Why was it so far away from my bed?

I could only make one trip. But with the way my head was pounding, I didn't even think I could make that.

So, for what seemed like hours, I just lay there. I knew I probably was only seconds, but the concept of time had been lost to me.

Eventually, I got so cold, that I gathered all the energy I could, and with a shaking arm, pushed myself off the floor.

That was a mistake.

The moment I stood on my feet, a wave of dizziness hit me. Black dots clouded my vision, and my head spun, faster and faster.

I was going to faint; I was going to fall. I could feel myself slipping away into the blackness.

Quickly I tried to take a step forward, but the blackness only invaded more of my sight.

Only a few more steps. I had to beat it.

Stumbling over the first one, I reached out for something to break my fall, but found nothing, and fell to the ground.

All the while, the pain pounded at my head.

And the blackness finally overtook me.

I couldn't see anything, feel anything…

But I could hear something.

A voice….a familiar voice…I thought.

 _You will remain this way, until you can learn to love another. By the time this last rose petal falls, you must love another, and earn their love in return._

The voice drifted through me. It seemed to be part of me, coming from somewhere within. It wasn't someone saying it out loud. It was…like the memory of a voice.

 _All memory of you will be erased from the outside world. No one will remember who you are, or that you are here._

Memory will be erased? Rose petal? Something about love.

My head to too busy spinning to even begin to make sense of what was happening!

I was going to be sick again. But I didn't know where I was, the blackness was everywhere now.

Then, the pain got worse.

I screamed.

Something clawed at my head. Trying to force its way in.

I grasped at my skull desperately trying to pull away whatever had got me. But there was nothing there. Nothing I could feel.

Only pain.

But then…

A word.

A single word was pushed into my head.

A word that made me want to cry.

For someone had given me…

Jack.

The name echoed throughout my head. Repeating again and again.

Jack. Jack, Jack, Jack.

Then, it all began to make sense.

As that word was replaced by an image.

A boy stood before me. Around twenty years old, with the most amazing head of ginger hair I had ever seen in my life. He stood, smiling at me, with joy radiating from jewel like eyes.

I had seen him before. In a dream.

He had been the boy that had chased me, in that nightmare over a year ago. The faerie that had cursed my family had been there, and said the strangest things to me.

But this young man had been there. Chasing an apparition of me through the trees. I had laughed. I had wanted him to chase me.

And he now had a name.

Jack.

Jack Hale.

How had I not known that. The name was as familiar to me as my own.

But I hadn't known it at the time. Or since.

Why had I not immediately known that he was called Jack.

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by another burst of pain.

And something else slipped into my mind.

 _I heard a twig snap behind a nearby tree. Turning my head towards the sound, I was still attempting to breath after my fall. A figure in dark clothes darted behind the tree. I wondered who on earth it could be. Fear started to creep into my mind, what if it was someone who was dangerous?!_

 _Once I could breathe properly again, I sat up and shouted at the figure._

 _'Who are you? What do you want?' I called. I was terrified as I saw the person walk around the tree. There, standing before me was a young man, more of a boy, with bright ginger hair, and he was laughing. His eyes sparkled with mirth. He had pulled down his hood, and was covering his mouth with his hand._

 _'What's so funny?' I asked, knowing exactly why he was laughing._

 _'That display.' He replied. 'It was quiet a thing to behold.'_

 _I simply sat there glowering at him. This only made him laugh harder. He continued to chuckle, and eventually I broke and started laughing along with him. He offered his hand towards me, and I accepted it, pulling me up. I stood face to face with him, and noticed the freckles dusting his nose._

 _'May I ask, what were you supposed to be doing?' He asked._

 _I took a deep breath, trying to suppress my embarrassment._

 _'I was practicing my dancing.' I told him, lifting my head defiantly._

A memory. Of over three years ago. That had been the morning before Christopher's ball, where Christopher and Ella had met for the first time.

But it was something else too.

Jack.

It had been the very first time I had met Jack.

Why hadn't I remembered it? It was now as clear to me as yesterday. But why had this been kept away from me? What else could I not remember?

More pain, and another strangled scream tore from my throat. As something else was pushed in.

 _There was a moment of talking and then the music started up again, this time a slow waltz._

 _'May I?' Jack whispered quietly into my ear._

 _I nodded, trying desperately to ignore the goose-bumps that were forming on the skin on my neck, where he had whispered. I did not know why I was reacting so, but I did not have much to wonder as we began to sway in time with the music._

 _Jack's arm circled my waist and his hand landed on the small of my back, and it felt strong and firm._

 _My own hand found its way to his shoulder. The position we found ourselves in made it impossible not to look at him directly. He was slightly taller than me, so at least it kept my head up._

 _The phrase began, and Jack took the lead, stepping to the side, and I followed, performing the waltz step just as he had told me to._

 _The music swirled around us, but I did not know the tune, and I was too distracted to notice._

 _Jack's eye's never left my own. We were moving around the room now, perfectly in sync with each other._

 _Jack wrapped both his arms around my waist and lifted me into the air, spinning me around as he did._

 _It felt like flying._

 _My head tilted upward, and I took in the climax of the music and the sensations with my eyes closed. I had no coherent thoughts, just pure bliss for one perfect moment._

 _Jack slowly lowered me to the ground, and I was snapped out of my daze, my feet firmly back on the ground. The waltzing continued, but the music was coming to an end, and so it slowed down._

 _We returned to the basic step, and with one final spin away, the music ended, and I sunk into a low curtsey, with my head lowered._

 _I needed a moment to regain my breath and collect my thoughts. I had never before experienced a dance quite like that._

Our first dance. Or at least first proper dance, I didn't count the short dance lesson he gave me in the forest.

 _'Hello.'_

 _The sudden noise made me jump, and a small scream came out of my mouth. I turned as quickly as I could, panic flooding though every vein in my body. I whirled to face whoever had just spoken. My body tilted so far, I could feel myself falling down and down and down. A hand shot into my line of vision and grabbed my arm. I could feel it pulling me back upright so I would not fall into the pond which had come much closer to me than I had realised. My head finally snapped into place so I could see who had startled me so._

 _Jack was there, staring down at me. His hand was wrapped securely around the top of my arm, and he pulled me back up to a sitting position, out of danger of falling into the pond._

All of these memories, suddenly flooded back through me.

Jack. My friend who had lived in Milton! How had I forgotten all of this?

What was happening?

And why was I suddenly remembering? That what was scaring me the most.

But I had no time to think on this, as more and more memories pushed through my head, and tears filled my eyes.

 _I reached up and pulled his face down to mine, and kissed him._

 _Jack froze._

 _I froze._

 _The world froze._

 _Then, as if releasing a large breath, everything unfroze. I felt Jack's arms circle around my waist and hold me tightly. My own arms were around his neck tugging slightly at his hair, those beautiful red locks._

 _His lips were soft and moved over mine, gently and sweetly._

 _It was only brief, and when we parted, we both stared at each other, as if neither of us were quite sure that had just happened._

 _'I like you too, you idiot!' I told him, smiling a little._

 _His face lit up. A huge wide grin spread across it, from cheek to cheek. His gaze flitted over my face, before finally resting on my lips._

 _I felt the heat rising throughout my face as I smiled at him._

 _Then he moved, quickly but surely, and captured my mouth with his._

 _His hands rose up from my waist, and tangled in my hair, as I wrapped mine around his shoulders._

 _It was bliss, pure and utter bliss._

 _Jack likes me, Jack likes me too. The thought kept repeating itself inside my head, again and again, as if I needed to make sure I believe it._

Our first kiss, my first kiss.

Not James at all, but Jack? This had been when I was eighteen, only weeks after moving to Milton.

How had I forgotten?

But the next one was the one that truly made me freeze with terror.

 _'Marion, I'm so in love with you I can hardly breathe, hardly think. I never want to leave your side or be parted from you. I don't want to meet you here every week anymore, because I want to see you in our house, our home. I want to wake up next to you every morning, raise our children with you, grow old with you. I don't want to pass through life unless you are by my side.'_

 _Tears were freely running down my face now, I didn't want to stop them, I only wanted to hear what he had to say next._

 _'So please, Marion, will you marry me?'_

No. No, no, no, this can't be happening.

I couldn't have possibly forgotten something like that! That can't have happened.

What was this madness that was taking over me?

What in the name of hell was happening to me? Or had happened to me?

 _He dipped his head down and his lips met my own, softly, gently. I felt so nice to know that we would have the rest of our lives to do that._

 _I moved my hand from his, and moved it up his arm to his shoulder, his own hand found its way from my leg to my waist, as he pulled me in tightly._

 _His kisses became firmer, more insistent, and I responded in kind. My fingers tangled in his lovely red hair, as his moved up and down my back._

How…No…What?

 _'Marion Brown, you stop this at once and listen to me!' He almost shouted. 'I don't care about what you think I do or don't deserve. I want you, only you. Not anyone else who you might think is better. You!'_

That was his voice. I recognised it.

What had I done?

 _'Really, no other name?' He said softly, his beautiful eyes meeting mine._

 _'Why no, can you think of any?' I teased._

 _'A few,' He said, leaning forward to brush his lips against my ear._

 _I shivered._

 _'My love,' He whispered, 'My darling. My wife.'_

Stars above, what on earth had happened? It was truly starting to scare me now. I just wanted answers. How had I forgotten all of this? Forgotten him?

 _There will be joy, but there will also be pain, and a great amount of suffering on your part. A great amount_.

 _Be wary of happiness. Twice you will think you have found it, and twice it will be taken away. And beware of him, he will bring you great suffering, but in two different forms, one of which you won't see coming or remember, no one will._

 _You can't fight him, that is not your destiny. Someone else must defeat him, but you must endure. You have to endure._

 _'I am sorry for your loss. You have not lost them yet, but you will._

I knew those words too.

They had been the prophesy a fae fortune teller had given me at a fair in Milton.

Words that had come true.

Twice I had lost the man I loved. The source of my happiness. And she had been talking about James, hadn't she? That was now painfully clear. She had known, this entire time, that I was going to lose him.

Tears stung my eyes, as one final memory was pushed into my head.

 _'_ _I curse you.'_

 _'_ _I curse you, Lord Adam Weston.'_

 _'_ _I curse you to be the monster you are. All who see you, will see not this face, only what you truly are like. '_

 _Lord Weston stood still, his eyes flicked to the ground where small ribbons of golden light edged their way towards him, wrapping themselves around his legs. His breathing increased._

 _He was scared._

 _The ribbons of light, they were coming from where I was stood. How could-_

 _The ribbons of light had reached his middle now. He moved, trying to get away from them. He was terrified. Utterly terrified. The ribbons of light must have been magic, golden magic._

 _'_ _You will remain this way, until you can learn to love another. By the time this last rose petal falls, you must love another, and earn their love in return. If not, you will remain in this form forever.'_

 _The magic had reached his head. His entire body was no longer visible behind the bright golden glow. People behind him were screaming and running. All those highborns he had invited were fleeing for their lives._

 _'_ _And as for you.'_

 _Several people were pulled forward. They did not walk, but float just above the ground. Their arms seemed to be bound, but there was no rope or bindings._

 _They all stopped just behind the glow, completely helpless to move or fight._

 _'_ _You will all share his fate unless he breaks this curse, doomed to remain in this form forever.'_

 _I glanced to the person to the left of me held. He had grey hair and a smart uniform. The butler, Thompson._

 _Next to him was a middle aged woman, weeping quietly. Mrs Potter._

 _Next to her was a small boy of about eight or nine. He looked so scared, so frightened. Teddy._

 _A small girl was next, her large eyes wide with fear. Agnes._

 _The bright glow that used to be Lord Weston broke the line, and next to him was a young man with long blonde hair tied back. He seemed to be staring at me with disbelief. Lucien._

 _A young woman was crying loudly next to him, her pretty face contorted as she sobbed. Polly._

 _And next to her._

 _Next to_

 _Next…._

 _A young man._

 _His beautiful blue green eyes stared defiantly at me. I'd seen them many, many times, but never with such anger in them._

 _His red hair made his stand out from everyone else. His face was pale but his expression was one of pure and utter hatred. His jaw was clenched tight._

 _Jack._

 _'_ _You have until the last petal falls. And one more thing, all memory of you will be erased from the outside world. No one will remember who you are, or that you are here.'_

 _The golden ribbons of magic found their way to the bound people, snaking their way up their legs._

 _To their thighs._

 _Then their middles._

 _Around their shoulders._

 _Up to their necks._

 _Jack continued to stare at me, or at least at whoever's eyes I was seeing out of. His face frozen in anger, hatred._

 _I watched in horror as those ribbons of magic swirled themselves around his head, blocking out those beautiful jewel like eyes, until only his hair remained. Then that was gone too, and only a golden glow remained._

He had been cursed.

We all had.

Everything I had thought about those two years in Milton had been a lie.

This was really what had happened.

I tried to stand, to fight the blackness, but as soon as the final memory had settled in my mind, the pain vanished.

And the pure relief of it made the blackness close in around me.

Making me fall to the ground.

I succumbed to unconsciousness, and all I knew was black.

* * *

'Arry! MARION! ARRY!'

I jolted awake.

And managed to collide my head with someone else.

'Argh!' Someone cried. Pain shot through my head, making me moan. Peeling open my eyes, I saw Alexander clutching his head.

'Ow!' I complained. 'What was that for?'

'What to do mean, you hit me!' Alexander argued.

'Alex?' Came a voice from the door. I glanced over to see Scarlett stood in the doorway, holding a candle. 'What's the matter?'

Alexander blinked, and then suddenly jumped.

'Arry, I remember.' He said, turning to me frantically.

At that, I froze.

Because all the memories of the last few hours clattered through me.

Everything.

I remembered everything.

No.

No, this could not have happened.

How had…What had…Why?

'Remember? Remember what?' Scarlett asked, moving towards us.

But I only stared at my brother.

'I remember too.' I said with a shaking voice.

Everything was shaking. My hands, my chest, my voice. I couldn't control it.

'Arry?' Alexander asked, concerned.

'Jack.' I breathed.

It was the first time I had said his name out loud. And it unleashed something within me. Something I had no chance of stopping.

Tears sprung to my eyes, as all the air in my lungs seemed to leave.

'Marion? Have you been sick? What's happening?' Scarlett asked, but I couldn't respond.

He existed. He was alive.

Jack.

Jack Hale.

My…

My…betrothed.

The man I had been about to marry. The man I had loved. The man…I loved.

And I had forgotten all about him. I had abandoned him.

A year and a half. It had been over a year and a half since I had even thought about him!

The boy who had loved me… and I…I had forgotten that he even existed.

At that, the sobs started.

Alexander leaned forward, and drew me into his embrace as I cried.

How could I have done this? There was too much guilt to feel, too much for one heart.

Jack.

I had left him, abandoned the person I had sworn to love for the rest of my days.

We had been about to get married! We had been only a week away from our wedding.

'Jack.' I moaned.

'Jack? Whose Jack?' Scarlett asked.

Alexander moved his head over mine, turning to her.

'Marion's betrothed.' He said in a low voice.

'How…how could I do this?' I sobbed.

Such overwhelming guilt. What had I done?

'Betrothed?' Scarlett asked shocked. 'When did you get betrothed.'

'Two years ago.' Alexander answered for me.

That only served to confused Scarlett more. She looked like she was going to ask more, when someone else flew through the door.

Bianca knelt next to me, her hair wild from sleep, and her eyes wide.

'Marion, I…I remember.' Bianca admitted.

'Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?' Scarlett begged.

Alexander looked like he was going to begin explaining, when I pulled away from his embrace, and wiped my tears.

'Jack Hale was my betrothed. We were going to get married in spring, two years ago.' I told her.

Her brow furrowed.

'So, did it end badly? Why didn't you go through with it?' She asked.

'We didn't get married, because I didn't know we were getting married. I forgot about him. I forgot everything.'

Tears began to sting my eyes again. How was I ever going to explain what a despicable person I was?

'Everyone forgot.' Alexander said. 'I don't know how, but everyone forgot all about him at the same time. And now, everyone seems to have remembered.'

'Even I forgot. And I only met him twice.' Bianca said. 'We forgot everything he ever did, everything he said. He simply didn't exist.'

At that, Scarlett gasped.

'Scar?' Alexander asked.

'Like Lord Weston?' She asked.

I jolted up at that.

'How do you know about Lord Weston?' I asked her.

'He's just a lord who lived in the county. He came to court for a while and tried to court Nerissa.' Scarlett explained. 'I hadn't thought about him, but now I realised that I had forgotten him completely. He hadn't existed until now.'

'Why? Who is Lord Weston?' Alexander asked.

'The lord that Jack worked for.' I announced. 'He was a footman.'

Scarlett suddenly seemed to understand more than she had before.

'So, what happened? How have we all forgotten about him, and then suddenly remembered? How is that possible?' Bianca asked.

'The curse.' I said, looking down to the ground, my mind spinning.

'Curse?'

'They were cursed. By the fae. _All memory of you will be erased from the outside world. No one will remember who you are, or that you are here.'_ I repeated from the voice that had been in my head.

'What?'

'It was the same one. The same fae cursed them as cursed us.' I told them.

'Arry? How do you know?' Alexander asked.

'I know. I just do.' I said, a sob rising in my throat. 'He cursed them, and cursed us. I know he did.'

I tried to contain myself, but I…I just couldn't.

'Marion, you have to calm down. How do you know about the curse?' Bianca asked me.

Another sob wracked my chest, and the three of them just waited for an answer.

'He told me. That damned fae told me.' I managed to utter. But all I could think was how I could have let this happen. He had told me, warned me, tried to apologise. And I hadn't listened.

'He told you? When?' Bianca asked.

'A long time ago. At Thorne Manor. I had a dream… and he was there. And he said! He talked about the curse, and I didn't listen. I didn't understand, and I didn't do anything about it!' I cried.

Jack. How could I have done this to him?

I had promised to love him for the rest of my life. He had been about to become my husband, and I had left him alone.

'In a dream? Marion, you're not making any sense.' Bianca said calmly.

'And I saw it. When they were cursed. I saw it again when everything came back. I think…I think I saw what he saw. The ballroom, and the golden light. He got them all. Lord Weston, and the butler, housekeeper...her young son and Agnes. Lucien and Polly were there to. And he got Jack to. I've never seen him so full of hate.' I sobbed.

Bianca rubbed her hand up and down my arm, trying her best to calm me. And, it did manage to make the sobs subside a little.

'I saw through the faerie's eyes. And I saw him curse them. I don't know why, but it was something about changing their form, and making everyone forget about them. But now it's done; it's broken and everyone can remember.' I said, finally managing to regain control of my emotions.

'And the dream?' Alexander asked.

'I had a dream while we were at the manor. Jack was there, but I didn't recognise him. And the Faerie was there too. He was showing me one of my memories, but I didn't know it. The faerie spoke to me, trying to…I think…apologise. Something about being sorry for the way things must be. And my suffering to spare many people. I still don't understand. But he died last year, when our curse broke, so I don't know why now…now their curse is broken.'

'So, what you're saying is,' Alexander tried to explain, 'The faerie that cursed us all, the one that Lady Annette killed last year, he also cursed Jack and Lord Weston, and all these other people, who I am presuming are the other servants. And their curse didn't break like the rest of them did when he died, but it's just broken now.'

I could only nod.

'And you had a dream, where this faerie appeared to you, and tried to explain? Was this before or after his death?'

'Before. I couldn't speak, and I panicked. I almost broke, but James-'

I stopped.

No.

No, oh stars above no.

What had I done.

What on earth had I done.

'James, what?' Alexander asked.

I started shaking again.

'Marion?' Bianca cried, concerned.

'No.' Was all I could utter.

'What is it?' Alexander asked. 'What about James- Oh.'

His eyes went wide with understanding. Then, he lay his hand on my shoulder.

'Arry, it's not your fault, you could not have known. You didn't do anything wrong!' He told me.

'What? Of course she hasn't done anything wrong!' Bianca cried, shocked. 'What could you have done?'

I only continued to shake my head.

How could I have done this to him? What sort of a monster was I?

'Marion, listen to me. It is not your fault. You did nothing wrong. You didn't know that he existed, you couldn't remember the promise you made. You were not kept to it in any way. It's not like you did it knowingly!'

The shaking of my head only increased.

'What? What is not her fault? Bianca demanded.

'Her marriage…to James.' Alexander finally explained. 'If she was betrothed to Jack then…'

'She broke her promise and married someone else.' Scarlett finished.

As soon as someone said it out loud, I pushed myself off the floor, and away from them.

'Marion, for once I have to agree with Alexander.' Bianca declared.

'What a rare day this is.' Alexander muttered under his breath.

Bea glared at him, but then turned back to me.

'It's not your fault. You didn't know about your engagement, therefore, you were free to live your life. You can't seriously believe that you were held by a promise you didn't know you made?'

'But he knew!' I cried, turning away from them. 'He would have been aware this entire time. It's been almost two years…what if he's been waiting? Or hoping? And I just abandoned him! And worse, I went and fell in love with someone else. All the while, he's cursed and trapped somewhere. How could I do that to someone I loved…to someone I…love.'

Turning towards the wardrobe, I heard Bianca get up off the floor and move towards me.

'And do you…still love him?' She asked.

I froze.

'I mean, it's perfectly alright if you don't feel the same way. It's been a long time, and you're a completely different person from the girl you were two years ago.' She explained.

Opening the wardrobe, I began to pull out a day dress.

'I…I think I do. When all the memories came back…the feelings came back too. I can't really explain it. It's like…they had all been locked away in a box…somewhere in my heart. And it's now sprung open, and it's just…' Tears began to pool in my eyes, 'So overwhelming. Two years of memories suddenly flooding back through you.'

I placed down the dress, and wiped my tears away with my palm. I had to control myself. I could do this.

Pulling out a bag from the bottom of the wardrobe, I threw it open, and started pushing a change of clothes into it.

'Marion? What are you doing?' Alexander asked.

'I'm going to find him.' I declared.

They all fell silent.

'I have to find him. If only to…apologise.' I told them.

'Marion! You don't have anything to apologise for. It was beyond your control. If Jack can't understand that, then…' Bianca said.

'Then what?' I snapped. 'What Bea?'

'Then he doesn't deserve you.' She said forcefully. 'If he truly cared for you, he would understand.'

'Ah yes, he will understand. He will understand that mere weeks after our planned wedding, I got married to another man and fell in love with him, completely abandoning him after he was cursed against his will!' I shouted.

'But Marion, you didn't know!' Scarlett reasoned. 'It's not anyone's fault but this faerie.'

I shook my head.

'No, I need to find him. I need…to make this right. I need to explain. I owe him that much.' I declared.

I had never been so certain of anything in my life. I had to find him. I had to apologise.

And I had to know…

I needed to know if what I was feeling all at once, if it was all one sided.

I knew it probably was. After what I had done to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he hated the thought of me. I more than deserved it.

'Marion, it's the middle of the night!' Scarlett cried. 'Could it not wait until morning?'

I finished stuffing the blanket into my bag.

'No, it can't wait. Would you have waited Scarlett?' I asked, turning on her, in maybe a tone that was a little too harsh.

Her eyes went wide with shock.

'Well, if it had been Alexander? Would you?!' I shouted.

She shook her head.

'No. I wouldn't have.' She admitted.

I threw the bag over my shoulder.

'Marion? You do realise you're still in your nightgown?' Bianca asked quietly.

Glancing down, I hated to see the fact she was right.

'Then let me get changed!' I cried. 'And can someone go and get Penny ready? Please?'

I dropped my bag, and went back to where I had laid my dress out on the back of my chair and grabbed it. Not waiting to see if anyone moved, I walked behind the changing screen and began to peel off my nightgown.

I changed quickly, and instinctively went to pick up the emerald that lay on my dressing table. But as soon as my fingers touched the cold gem, I froze.

Could I wear it? Everything had changed, and I didn't know anymore.

I wanted to.

I really wanted to. That jewel had hung around my neck every single day since the moment James had placed it into my hand. It was one of the only things I had left to remind me of him. The Emerald and my memories.

But if I was going to find Jack…

The man I should have married. If he didn't already hate the sight of me, then the sight of me wearing something that tied me to another man, that would certainly push him over the edge.

But, I couldn't imagine myself without it. Even now, my neck felt bare and exposed.

And while I did care for Jack…I also loved James. And that was never going to change. It was part of my past, I couldn't just undo it. Jack might hate me for it, but it was the truth. I know I hated myself for it.

I grabbed the jewel and fastened it securely around my neck.

There was no way I would have the courage to face him without it. I knew it was silly, placing all my courage in a jewel, but that was what I had done. It somehow felt like a little piece of James was still there beside me; like I wasn't doing it alone.

And I would need every scrap of courage I could muster to even begin to face him. To try and make up for what I had done.

Emerging from behind the screen, I almost walked head first into Bianca.

'Your laces are done up wrong.' She said, glancing down. 'Here.'

I bit my lip as I turned around. Hold it together. I had to stay strong, or I would never get anywhere.

Bea pulled the strings at the back of my blue dress, and began to unthread the ones I had managed to put in the wrong place.

'Do you want me to come with you?' She asked. 'I don't like the idea of you going alone. In the dark.'

'You have things to do. I can't take you away from that.' I told her.

'They can wait. This can't.'

'I don't want to make things-'

'You won't be. Nerissa neglected the paperwork for years, and the county didn't collapse beneath her feet. I can take a few days to deal with the aftermath of a curse!' She insisted.

I stayed silent. As much as I wanted her there with me, I knew that she had worked so hard to get on top of all her duties, and this would only set her back several days.

'And besides,' Bianca continued, 'I should probably pay Lord Westfield…Westin…'

'Weston.'

'Lord Weston a visit. He is one of my lords, and his lands must have been neglected recently. We should probably sort out particulars in person, rather than even more letters.'

I sighed.

'Well, if you're sure.' I told her.

She finished tying the lace at the base of my spine.

'Perfect. Just let me get changed. Meet me at the stables, and see if Alexander can tear his eyes of his wife long enough to saddle the horses.' She said, practically running out of the room.

I moved to the wardrobe, grabbed the warmest cloak I possessed, and threw it around my shoulders. It was November now, and the cold was setting in. I slipped into my fur lined boots, and then proceeded to run down the corridor to the kitchen.

It was completely abandoned, which was a state I'd never seen it in. There were always servants running around, at what seemed to be all hours.

But as I glanced to the clock on the wall that had recently struck three, it was no surprise that no one was awake. How long had I fainted for? What time had the curse ended? I had been so ill when it all happened I didn't look at the time.

Maybe an hour? Two?

And what had happened to break it. I vaguely remembered someone's voice saying something about earning love? Or was it something about a Rose?

Either way, I'd find out soon.

Flinging open some cupboard, I quickly found some bread loaves, which I wrapped in cloth and stuffed in my bag. Then some apples, and a hunk of cheese. I filled up two flasks of water, and stole some sugar cubes for the horses.

I could only hope that Alexander or Scarlett would be able to explain to the cook tomorrow where the food had gone, and that she could forgive me.

Then, I headed to the stables. The cold night air stung my face and made my teeth chatter incessantly as I half walked-half ran towards the smell of hay and manure.

A lantern was already lit, and as I opened the door, I saw Alexander turn to greet me.

'Penny's ready.' He announced.

'Actually, we'll need two horses. Bea's coming with me.' I told him.

He only nodded, and then set to work trying to find another saddle.

'Are you sure you're alright Arry? Wouldn't you rather wait until morning when you've got a clear head?' He asked, pulling one down from its hook on the wall.

'Did you wait? When you had to find Scarlett?' I replied.

'No. You know I didn't. But that was different. I've seen Scarlett every day since we were married. You haven't seen him in nearly two years. What if…he's changed?'

'Changed how?'

'Well, we all came out of our curse changed. Less…innocent. More grave. Because the world was no longer the safe place we had grown up in. We had gotten hurt and were fighting for survival. Who's to say how this curse has affect him. We don't even know what it is! We were only curse for a few months, he's had years of it.'

Then, he glanced up.

'And you've changed. But how could you be the same after…James. No one could possibly endure what you endured and stay content and naïve. What if he's waiting for a girl who longer exists?'

'That's if he's waiting for me at all.' I sighed, knowing very well that the chances of that were slim to none.

'But how could he know? If no one could remember him, maybe he never found out.' Alexander reasoned.

'Well that's worse!' I cried.

'How?'

'Because if he doesn't know, I'm going to have to tell him, and watch as the hope he's been clinging to for two years dies. And he'll certainly hate me then. But, he will already know.'

'How could you possibly know that?'

'Isabelle.' I said bluntly. 'My friend from Milton. The one I still write to on occasion. I told her about my marriage, about the curse, everything. I even sent her my ball gown after it happened, because I couldn't stand the sight of it reminding me of the last night we had together. She knows, and Jack was her friend too. The moment the curse was lifted, no doubt he will have gone to find her, or she will find him. And she will tell him everything.'

Blinking away tears that had formed in my eyes, I inhaled deeply. I had to keep control, but it was become harder and harder with every passing second. Because I knew how it was going to play out, and no situation ended well.

Alexander heaved the saddle onto the back of a beautiful black mare, and sighed.

'Maybe she won't. Or maybe he won't care. I met Jack, remember. And it was obvious to a blind man how far he would go to make you happy. He met all of us at the same time, which is quite a task in itself. And if he was reasonable, he would know that there was nothing you could have done to remember. He would have wanted you to be happy. And at least there is still some hope for him.'

'How?' I asked.

'Because you said you still love him. And it's not like you're still married, or have children, or any other obstacle that would prevent you from simply picking up where you left off. It could still happen Arry, if that's what you want.'

I stood stunned for a moment, while I tried to decipher Alexander's words.

There could be a chance. If the years hadn't taken away his feelings, which they probably had. And it was true that I was free to marry if I chose to, I wasn't still tied to James, even if a small piece of my heart still was.

But was it what I wanted?

I hadn't seen him in almost two years, was I ready to simply go back to how it had been? We had been only a week away from getting married. We would have to get to know each other again, so much had happened.

But the more and more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

Because I did love him. And I think I had done this entire time. It had been locked away, somewhere deep in my heart, but it had always been there.

Even after all this time, I still loved him.

Then, another thought struck me.

'I'll be back in a minute, I just left something in my room.' I told Alexander, placing down my bag, and running out of the stables, across the courtyard and back into the palace. I ran up the main staircase, along the corridor and down into the East wing, almost falling into my room as I had forgotten to close the door on the way out.

I almost threw myself at the dressing table, where I began to pull all the little drawers open, desperately trying to see in the dim light of only one candle.

Until finally, a small glimmer followed by the touch of cold metal as I reached in and pulled out the tiny object.

My engagement ring shone in the darkness, the single flame reflected in the amethyst that sat in a ring of bronze.

I had guessed it had been my engagement ring before, when James and I had discovered my wedding invitation. I had felt something then, but nothing strong enough to inspire me to pursue it any further. But now, everything had changed. All my memories were back, and that altered the events of my life quite considerably.

But here it still was. Somehow, through all of this, some part of me had known that I should have kept it with me. I had left it in the bottom of my bag when I had come home from Milton, and then accidentally stayed there when we ran to the forest; then to Thorne manor. It had been one of the few things I had brought back with me after he died. It had been one of the few objects that had actually belonged to me in the manor so it had ended up back in Rault, and had been brought with all my other belongings when my siblings arrived at the palace.

Jack had saved his wages for months to afford this. And at the time, it had been my most treasured possession. I remember being scared to wear it every day, in case I lost something so valuable.

It looked so odd now. After all that had happened. It just looked…simple. I now lived in a palace, wore an emerald every day, had an entire wardrobe full of highborn dresses.

But once again, it had become one of the most precious items in my possession.

I raised my hand, and poised the ring on the tip of my finger…but then stopped.

I couldn't put it back on.

I just couldn't.

It was an engagement ring. But was I engaged? Had I been engaged this whole time?

I can't have been; I had been married and widowed.

But now…what was I?

Would Jack even want me to still have his ring? Or would he want it back, to give to someone more deserving than me?

So, I placed it down, and then went to the clasp at the back of my necklace. Unhooking it, I set it down on the table, and looped the chain through the ring and then reattached it around my neck.

The ring sat next to the emerald just below my collarbone. It felt a little odd, to have something that was not so familiar weighing on my neck.

I pressed my hand against my necklace.

Both of them were here. Side by side. Despite whatever might happen now with Jack, I would forever have the memories of the happy times I'd had with both of them, that was if there wasn't another curse around the corner.

I begged with all my heart that there wasn't any more magic in my life. I'd had quite enough of it. It had caused enough pain and heartbreak already, and I had no desire for any more.

A simple life. That was all I wished for. No curses, or adventure, or drama of any sort. I just wanted to be happy.

But first, I had to find him. So I could tell him how I felt, and apologise for all this time wasted. I knew he would likely reject me, but I had to try.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced around my dark room. I didn't know when I'd be back. A few days probably. Or maybe even tomorrow, if I could find him straight away.

I knew I should have gone to tell Gwen what was happening, and where I was going. But she was fast asleep and dreaming, I saw no reason to wake her up. Alexander would explain in the morning. And she would probably remember herself about Jack.

So, I quickly walked out of my room, and closed the door behind with a silent click. I headed back down towards the main entrance of the palace, back out into the cold night, and to the stables.

Bianca was already there. Wearing her loose shirt, tunic and trousers once again. She hadn't had much cause for wearing them since she became the Duchess. She'd had to wear fancy dresses, not wanting to scandalise anyone by showing off her legs in trousers.

'Ready?' She asked, taking hold of her horse's reins. I nodded, and moved to attach my bag to Penny's saddle.

'Stay safe. And write as soon as you have news. Good or bad.' Alexander said, as I turned to embrace him.

'I will, I promise.' I said.

Then, taking a firm grip of Penny's reins, I began to lead her out of the stable. There was a small step built into the courtyard to help people mount horses, which I didn't always need with Penny, but tonight I used, just for ease. I swung my leg over her back, and perched on top.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander lean over and whisper something into Bianca's ear. She nodded subtly, and then moved to join me.

She clambered on top of her horse, clicked her tongue, and started to trot off into the night.

And I had no choice but to follow.

I waved briefly to my brother who was waving us goodbye from the stable door.

But I turned my attention back to the path.

The path back to Milton.

And with any luck.

To Jack.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen.**

The sun had been up for several hours by the time we finally laid eyes on Milton.

It had been a long ride in the dark. And the cold.

Bianca had tried her best to cheer me up, but I wasn't really in the mood for much talking. I'd had very little sleep, a nice bruise was forming on my head, and I couldn't stop my teeth chattering against the freezing cold night air. How I managed to get through the trip without falling off Penny was beyond me.

It had been about two hours in when Bianca had pulled the reins of her horse until she stopped, jumped off her horse, and began to dig around in her bag.

'Why are we stopping?' I asked, also making Penny halt.

'Food. We've been riding for hours on an empty stomach. Is there something wrong with that?' She replied, pulling out a hunk of bread.

'No, of course not.' I said, jumping down to join her.

There was only the moon to illuminate my search as I fumbled around in my bag trying to find the food I stashed away. Eventually, my hand closed around an apple which I pulled out.

'Have you got another one of those?' Bianca asked me.

'I think so.' I said, reaching back into the bag and grasping another one, which I tossed to Bea.

'Thank you.' She said melodically, before taking a rather large bite of it. 'Take that Nerissa.'

'What?'

Bea shrugged.

'I like eating Apples. Nerissa killed with one, remember? So, now I eat as many apples as I can, just to prove that I survived. It's my little way of pissing Nerissa off, even if she isn't here to get annoyed by it.' Bianca explained, taking another bite. 'Look, still alive.'

I huffed a laugh at that.

I bit into my own apple, and shivered against the biting wind. But I didn't really feel in the mood for food. Not when my stomach kept churning and twisting inside me.

My nerves had only increased since I had awoken. And the closer we got to Milton, the more worked up I got.

What was going to happen when we arrived? How would I react; when finally, after all this time….I saw him?

A lump rose in my throat, and stuck there.

Almost two years. It had been twenty-one months since the curse had taken him away from me. And now, he might be only a few hours away.

Would he still look the same? What would he think of me? And how long would take for him to run away?

I'd made such a mess of everything. It was all my fault. And I knew I had very little chance of making it right. I had made this bed, and now it was time for me to lie in it.

Would his hair be that same shade of orange it had been last time? Did he have more freckles? Was he taller? Did his eyes still have that vibrant tone, like Jewels?

Would he care that I still loved him? Would any part of him still love me?

No, of course he wouldn't. Why was I trying to fool myself?

There were just so many questions. And all of them had answers, just around the corner.

If only I could calm myself enough to get them.

'Finished?' Bianca asked.

I threw my apple core on the ground, and jumped back on my horse.

'You're not very talkative this morning, are you?' Bea noted, also clambering back on her horse.

'Should I be?' I replied a little harshly.

'I don't know; I've never seen anyone in this situation before.' She said, 'We're a family of firsts, aren't we? Scarlett marrying a lowborn and running away from the palace, my 'death', and now this curse. I don't think anyone's had to deal with as many new situations as us.'

I clicked my tongue and set off, Bianca following closely behind.

'I'm not really in the mood. My mind's preoccupied.' I admitted.

'Unsurprisingly.'

Bea managed to catch up to trot alongside me.

'You know, it might not be as terrible as you imagine. The meeting.' She said.

I could only shake my head.

'After everything, I would be amazed if it went as well as it's going in my head.' I told her.

The scenario currently running through my mind consisted of no confrontation, no angry words spat at me. Just a handsome young man turning his back on me, and refusing to listen to my pleas. The tears streamed down my face as I returned to the palace, without any hope left, and with only his rejection.

And that was the best possible situation I could think of. The others had been much more…angry.

'Well, if it's any consolation at all, I think it's going to go much better than the next time I see Antony. That really will not go well.'

I snapped my head around to her.

'What?'

'Let's just say, it may take a while before he is civil to me.' She admitted rather cryptically.

I almost stopped my horse.

'Wait, what happened? He seemed fine when he left.'

At that Bianca did pull her horse to a stop, and I turned mine so I could see her. Or as much as I could see her in the dark.

'It's over. Well, can I even say that, when it wasn't really anything in the first place.'

I could only raise my eyebrow at that.

'Well, it might have been something. But nothing much.' She admitted.

'So, what exactly happened?'

She shrugged.

'There was a difference of intent. I like Antony. He's fun to be around, nice to talk to, and has a rather handsome figure. And he's rather good at….other things.' She said.

I couldn't tell if she was blushing in the dark, I wasn't sure if she was capable of blushing.

It was painfully obvious as to what she was alluding to. Or maybe it was obvious to me because I had been married.

'But he seemed to think we were heading towards something. Spending more time together, getting to know each other. He wanted to visit more, and maybe officially court me at some point. So, I had the rather unfortunate task of having to tell him that it was not going to happen.'

'But why? If you like him, and he likes you? Is it because of what that stupid mirror said? That could be wrong, you never know!' I argued.

She shook her head.

'No, it's not that. I just don't care for him like that. And I don't think I ever will. And I certainly can't see him as someone I would marry. He's nice, and we have fun, but that is all. I can't pretend to feel something that I don't.'

It made sense. I knew Bea, and I couldn't ever see her settling down with Antony. They might be good together for a short amount of time, but they were both headstrong and stubborn people. And Antony was a flirt, I'd seen it before. I was surprised they had become what they had been, let alone anything else.

'However, he didn't take it too well. Wanted to prove that we could work. He wanted to visit the palace more often. I refused. We argued, and said things that maybe shouldn't have been spoken. He put on a good face when he left, but he was still upset; I could tell.'

'Why didn't you tell me? That was weeks ago!' I cried.

She shrugged.

'I just forgot to. We were so busy with all that paperwork, and it didn't seem that important. We weren't going to see him for a while, so it wasn't urgent. And I honestly haven't been that affected by it. I thought I'd be upset, or angry…but I'm not. It was just something that happened.'

'But…How…Why?' I seemed incapable of forming sentences.

'I don't know, I can't explain it. I simply wasn't that affected by it. You don't need to worry about me, it's not going to burst out at some inconvenient time and I'll break down into tears. I'm honestly fine, I'm just the same as ever.'

'I will never understand you Bianca Knox.' Was all I could say, as I started to make Penny move again.

'Good, I should hate to be predictable.' She smirked as she too began to walk beside me.

We mainly fell into silence after that. Bea tried a few times to start a conversation, but my heart wasn't in it. It was far away, panicking about what was going to happen when we arrived.

Eventually, the sun rose, and after several more hours, we finally set eyes on Milton.

'Good to be back?' Bianca asked me, as we stopped to stare at it.

'I…I'm not sure.' I replied honestly.

'Marion, it really won't be as bad as you're imagining. He knew you couldn't remember him, he will understand.'

Unable to take my eyes off the village, I shook my head.

'There are so many memories here. So old, and yet new.' I uttered.

And then my heart stopped. As my gaze fell over to the east side of the village.

Tears sprung to my eyes. Of course it would still be here, just to torture me with what could have been.

'Arry, what is it?' Bea asked.

I raised my hand, and pointed to that small house that was only just visible from on top of the hill.

'There. That house on the end there.' I whispered.

'Yes, what about it?'

'That was going to be ours. He showed me, the day he…' I stopped.

'Oh.'

I blinked away the tears. I could do this; I could at least get across the village without bursting into tears. It was possible.

'Well remember, if he's unreasonable, or just being an idiot, I'm right here to knock some sense into him. And he might actually listen this time now I'm a Duchess.'

I nodded.

'This will be strange. I'm actually allowed to walk through the streets of Milton, and not worry about being handed over or arrested. I've been in these woods so many times, but never actually made it into the village itself.'

'Then, you will need a tour.' I joked, trying my best to cheer myself up a bit. Yanking on Penny's reins, we set off down the hill and onto the main path.

I had walked this exact road many, many times. And now, it felt so different. And yet, the same.

I'd never done it on a horse before, maybe it was the new height?

I tried to pretend that that was the cause, but I knew all too well that it wasn't. Two years since I had last set foot in this village, and everything still looked the same, even if everything that changed.

As we approached the outskirts, I pointed out various buildings. They were mainly houses, and no one seemed to be awake yet. The further in we got, the more I could point out, until at last, we arrived at the main square.

To find it…completely deserted.

Not one single person in sight.

Never before, in all the time I had worked for Madam Cartwright, had I ever seen the Main Square deserted. There was always at least one person wandering around. At all hours of the day and night.

'Uh Marion, why is no one here?' Bianca asked, glancing around.

'Maybe they're all still in bed?' I answered.

'It's almost midday. Sunrise was hours ago, it can't be before eleven, or have you forgotten that the sun rises late as it approaches winter?'

I didn't reply, not because I had forgotten about when the sun rises in November, but because I had spotted something over on the other side of the square.

'No.' I breathed.

I jumped off Penny and ran.

'Marion? MARION? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?' Bianca shouted.

But I didn't stop. Not until I stood at the gates once again. The sound of hoof beats thundered behind me as Bianca caught up to me.

I could only stare. At the broken wheel and pulley before me.

'No.' I repeated.

This had been one of the first things I had seen here in Milton.

Isabelle's chicken feeder.

Broken and disused. And it looked like it hadn't been in use for months. There was certainly enough rotting wood to suggest that.

And I knew that Isabelle would never have let it fall into such a state of disrepair. She would have taken it down and used the wood for something else. She was just like that.

'Marion, what's the matter.'

I pushed open the gate and ran to the door.

'Isabelle?' I shouted, hitting the door with my fist. 'Isabelle, are you there?'

'This is where Isabelle lives?' Bianca asked from behind me.

'Yes!' I almost shouted at her. 'Isabelle, please, if you're there, please open the door. It's Marion. Please.'

No response. Not even a flicker of movement from inside the house.

'What happened?' Bianca asked.

I turned away from Isabelle's door.

'I have no idea.'

And what was even stranger, was that no one else had stirred. Usually, as soon as something slightly out of the ordinary occurred, like a girl who hadn't lived in this village for almost two years trying to hammer down a door, there would be a several nosy neighbours, determined to find the source of the noise.

But not today. Not one person was interested in what was happening.

'Marion…look.'

Bianca was pointing down the street, to where the path faded away into a mud track.

It was another path I knew well. For just down that mud track, nestled away, was the small pond that Jack and I used to meet at. And just beyond there, was the castle.

The castle no one would have known existed.

But there, unmistakably…

Footprints.

Dozens and dozens of footprints. Maybe even hundreds.

No one was here. Because they had all gone down that path.

They had all abandoned Milton….

To find out what had happened at the castle.

'They look fresh. Only a few hours old. It rained yesterday, so they must have been this morning.' Bianca told me. 'Right, come on. Get back on Penny.'

I turned back to her to discover that she had pulled Penny along with her, when I run to Isabelle's door.

'But what…what if he's there?' I asked, suddenly afraid once again.

'Isn't that the whole point, to find him?' She replied, 'Or why else did we leave at some stupid time in the morning?'

'Yes, it is, but…'

'Marion, it won't be that bad. I promise you, it will not be as terrible as you are imagining.'

I clambered back onto Penny.

'How do you know?'

Bea sighed.

'Because he passed the test, remember. He would have done anything for you.'

My heart almost stopped at the mention of that. I remembered being so overjoyed when I had overheard them that night, Jack and Bianca.

'But that was before I abandoned him to marry someone else.' I responded.

'Because you weren't tied to him!' Bianca cried through gritted teeth. 'How many times do we have to tell you it's not your fault!'

'it doesn't matter how many times, because it's not true.' I told her.

Then, without waiting for her to respond, I pulled at Penny's reins, and we set off.

'But where are we going?' Bianca called after me. 'You haven't told me where this path goes!'

'The castle. Lord Weston's castle is at the end of the path.'

'Well, that would make sense.' She muttered.

And then the two of us were off, galloping down the path.

Onto the castle.

* * *

There were people everywhere.

The entire population of Milton had left their houses and wandered up to the mysterious castle.

I felt almost sick with anticipation now. And the growing crowd didn't particularly make me feel more at ease. A few of them recognised me, and offered me a wave. But there were just so many faces, I could hardly keep track of them all.

The crowd was so dense that Bianca and I had to give up on riding, and tie up Penny and Bianca's mare to a nearby tree on the forest's edge. There was no way we were getting through that crowd on horses. Maybe if we trampled some people…

So we continued on foot. Bianca attracted a few strange looks as she had left the hood of her cloak down, allowing the world to see that she was a woman wearing trousers. I heard various whispers, and not all of them positive.

'Just wait until they hear that I am their Duchess. Let's see who laughing then.' Bianca muttered in a low enough voice that only I could hear.

We pushed forwards, through the iron gates and down the stone path. The castle looked much the same as it before. The intricate carvings worked their way up the tall towers and along bridges connecting the various parts of the castle together. It still looked as grand and imposing as it had before, and that was when I didn't live in a palace. I thought now that maybe the splendour would be lost a little on me; now that I was around such decoration on a daily basis. But no, there was a little too extravagant feel about this castle.

People had gathered in the main courtyard at the front of the castle, the large wooden doors thrown wide open.

I'd never set foot in the courtyard before. The few times I had actually been to the castle had resulted in my entrance through the servant's doorway.

But there was something about the fact that people had gathered in the courtyard that was odd.

Lord Weston would never have allowed a crowd of lowborns to invade his home like this. His permanent scowl would have frightened everyone away.

So, what had happened to make everything change?

'Can you see him?' I asked Bianca as we pushed our way to the front of the crowd.

'Wasn't he tall?' She replied. 'You would have thought a tall ginger young man would be easy to spot.'

We reached the steps, and I turned to look back through the crowd.

Not one single ginger hair. Just many, many heads of hair in shades of brown, blonde and grey. He wasn't here.

'Marion?'

I turned around, shocked.

As there before me, stood someone I hadn't set eyes on in a very long time.

'Is it really you?'

I could only nod. Word evaded me.

'You haven't changed at all!'

I stepped forward, and opened my arms.

As I pulled Amelia into my embrace.

I hadn't seen her since the moment I left Milton after receiving the news about father from Alexander. She and Isabelle had waved me goodbye.

She had been one of my greatest friends when I lived here. The two of us, toiling all day in that workshop. Talking, and giggling and joking with each other. She had been the first person I had told about Jack.

And she was here!

'Oh, I missed you.' I cried, pulling her in tighter.

'What happened to you? You stopped writing!' She asked, once we parted.

'Sorry, I've been busy.' I said, blinking away tears.

'Too busy to write a note!' She argued. 'What could you possibly have been doing?'

'Helping me.' Bianca interrupted.

Amelia looked Bianca up and down.

'And you are?'

'Amelia, let me introduce you to Duchess Bianca Knox, the reason I haven't had a spare second for the past several months.'

Amelia froze.

Then her mouth dropped open.

And then, like lightning, she dipped into a curtsey and avoided eye contact with Bea.

'I'm so sorry, you grace.' She cried, 'I did not know. I meant no disrespect.'

Bianca hid her smile with her hand.

'Amelia, its' alright, you don't need to do that.' I whispered.

She quickly rose, her cheeks stained red from embarrassment.

'I'm sorry, you know the Duchess! When did this happen?' Amelia asked.

'The first day I set off to Milton from home.' I told her.

'What?'

'It's a bit of a long story.'

Amelia grabbed my arm and yanked me closer, like she always used to.

'You mean to tell me that you have known the Duchess longer than you have known me! And you never thought to mention it!' She whispered through clenched teeth.

'As I said, it's bit of a long story. And not one for now.' I told her. Unable to control myself, I reached for her again, and pulled her back into a hug.

'Oh, you have no idea how much I missed you!' I told her.

'Aren't you a too high and mighty for me? Last I heard you were a Lady!' She said.

I nodded into her shoulder.

'I still am.' I told her.

'Yes, the princess gave her the title herself. Rather upstaged my ceremony.' Bianca announced.

Amelia pulled back.

'And you met the princess! When were you going to mention that!' She cried, hitting my arm gently.

'She's met the princess on more than one occasion. I think you could call them friends.' Bianca muttered. I glared at her.

Amelia simply tapped her foot and waited for answers.

'I might have received an invitation to her wedding. But I think I am more acquainted with her husband, Philip, now. After that war camp.' I told her.

Amelia's eyes widened to heights I didn't think possible.

'But never mind that, I need to know…Have you seen Jack?' I begged.

Amelia seemed to snap out of whatever daze she had been in, as she shook her head.

'No, honestly, I haven't. Maybe Isabelle might know where he's gone? She's been closer to him these last few months than the rest of us.'

'What?' Bianca demanded.

'What does that mean?' I asked, at the same time as Bianca.

Amelia glanced between the two of us.

'You mean, you don't know?' She asked incredulously.

'Know what?' I asked.

'Isabelle's been here in the castle for months. We all thought she ran away, but she was here the entire time. She's the whole reason the curse has been broken.'

I stood astounded.

Isabelle? She broke the curse?

She had been no more than a child when I had last seen her.

But, now that I thought about it…she was just a little older than Clara. She would have been eighteen a few months ago. She would have grown up over the last two years. Isabelle would now be the same age I had been when I moved to Milton by myself.

'How did she break the curse? And what even was the curse, other than the memories?' I asked.

'I'm not quite sure. All we know is that Isabelle is responsible for the end of the curse, something to do with Lord Weston. I think-'

'MARION!'

We all spun around at that voice.

For there, just a few feet away…stood Isabelle.

'Amelia! How good to see you again!' She cried, as she pushed past the last few people and managed to join us. She embraced Amelia first, and then turned to me.

Practically launching herself at me, I had to stumble back a step as she wrapped her arms around me.

'Oh…thank goodness you're alright!' I muttered.

Isabelle pulled back.

'Why wouldn't I be alright?' She asked.

'I saw your house just before coming here. Your chicken feeder was rotting away, I thought you'd died!'

Isabelle giggled a little.

'No, I haven't died. I completely forgot about that. I've been…detained.' She told us.

And then, her eyes rested on Bianca.

'I'm sorry, do I know you?' Isabelle asked Bea.

'No. But I feel I know you. Arry talked about you a lot. You and your inventions.' Bianca replied.

Isabelle turned to me confused.

'Isabelle, this is Bea. More commonly known as Duchess Bianca Knox.' I told her.

Bea only looked a little smug.

Isabelle's eyes widened with shock, as she moved to curtsey, before Amelia grabbed her arm and pulled her up. 'You don't need to do that.' She whispered.

Bianca turned to me.

'I have to admit Arry, that I am rather enjoying everyone making a fuss. Maybe I should make you all curtsey when you greet me.'

I scoffed.

'In your dreams. I'd like to see you get Daniel to agree to that.' I mumbled.

'How dare you, I'm your Duchess! How dare you defy me.' She teased.

'When you've hosted us for an entire year, and remodelled the palace for us, then you can pull rank on me.' I told her.

Amelia and Isabelle just stood there amazed at us.

'It's alright. She owes me.' I told them.

'What on earth happened for you to have a Duchess indebted to you?' Amelia asked astonished.

'A lot of things. It does help though when the Duchess is a wanted criminal, and doesn't really have many options.'

Isabelle looked like she was going to ask something else, but I cut her off.

'That's not important right now. We're here to find out what happened.' I said, and then looked to Isabelle. 'And we've been told to ask you.'

Smiling, Isabelle stood a little taller.

'Yes, the curse has been broken. And I've never been so happy in my life!' She admitted. 'I'm in love.'

Unable to stop myself from grinning at that, I let myself smile for what might have been the first time since I had awakened that morning.

'So it is true!' Amelia cried. Isabelle blushed, and nodded.

'With who?' I asked.

'Adam.' She told us. The glint in her eye told me all I needed to know about her affections.

'Who?'

'Adam. But I think you know him as Lord Weston.'

Both mine and Amelia's jaw's dropped.

Lord Weston. That arrogant, prideful, cold, and mean lord. And he had somehow made Isabelle fall in love with him? I didn't think he was capable of love!

'Oh no, he's changed. He's nothing like the man he was before.' Isabelle argued.

'I distinctly remember you mocking him after he visited Milton that one time.' Amelia said.

'Years ago! But I promise, he's nothing like that now! He's kind, and caring…and feels terrible about how he acted before the curse.' Isabelle told us.

Just then, someone from the crowd pushed into the back of Bianca, making her stumble forward.

'Excuse me!' Bianca cried, turning on the person who had just pushed her. But they had already moved on.

'Come with me.' Isabelle told us, 'We'll find somewhere less crowded.'

I grabbed Bianca's hand, so I wouldn't lose her, and we followed Isabelle through the castle doors and off to the left hand side. I barely had time to actually look at the entrance hall as we hurried into a small room, that appeared to be a study of some sort. Bianca closed the door behind us, and I sighed as we could finally hear ourselves think. There was still a loud mumble from the crowd outside, but it was much more subdued than it had been.

'So, what do you wish to know?' Isabelle asked.

'Everything.' I told her honestly.

'And Marion would like to know about Jack.' Bianca said.

Isabelle froze at that, while Amelia covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

'Oh. I forgot about that.' Amelia muttered.

I turned to Isabelle.

'Yes, I would very much like to find Jack. Is he…is he here?' I asked, the lump in my throat reappearing.

Isabelle shook her head.

'No, he isn't.'

My heart sunk. I had known, of course I had known that he probably wouldn't want to see me; but I didn't think he would have fled the castle to get away from me.

'Can you start at the beginning?' Bianca asked.

Isabelle nodded, and perched herself on the corner of the desk.

'So, the curse first took effect at that Ball that Adam held for his birthday-'

'Wait, it was for his birthday?' Amelia asked.

'Yes, what did you think it was for?'

Amelia shrugged.

'I didn't know. We were just told that there was going to be a ball, and Marion and I were busy making all the clothes for it. We never asked why.'

'Well, I don't think he pointed out that it was for his birthday, but it happened to coincide with that day.' Isabelle responded. 'May I continue?'

We all fell silent.

'At this ball, a Faerie burst in, and asked for shelter in the castle. Adam refused. He said he had met the faerie before, and was in no mood to see him again, let alone host him. The Faerie got annoyed, and placed a curse on the castle, and the servants.' Isabelle said, with a pointed look at me.

'Because Lord Weston wouldn't let him stay? That seems a little harsh.' Bianca noted.

'Anyway, the curse altered their appearance, and erased all memory of them from the outside world.'

'Altered how?' I asked.

Isabelle sighed.

'They were all given masks. Masks that would not leave their faces. They covered the top half of their faces, down to here.' Isabelle said, pointing to the point of her cheekbones. 'They could never take them off, and I couldn't see their true faces. Only their eyes. Adam's was…not pleasant. Some sort of wild animal. I screamed the first time I saw it. Disfigured and dark. Jack's was a work of art, shades of blue and green.'

The lump in my throat rose higher and higher.

'He's always been an artist.' I managed to utter. 'He used to spend hours sketching and drawing.'

'Lucien's was a golden colour and elaborate; Polly's was silver, Mr Thompson looked like it was made of brass, and Jack pained some small clock details on when they were bored one day. He said that Mr Thompson had a time for everything, and his mask reflected that. Mrs Potter and Teddy had porcelain masks, and Agnes had a sort of rose coloured one.'

'What was the point of the masks?' Bianca asked.

Isabelle shrugged.

'I don't know. To hide their faces, possibly? To give them something to hate about the curse, because they all hated their masks, and wanted nothing more than to be rid of them. Whatever the reason, it was a part of the curse. They were also confined to the grounds; they couldn't go any further than the gates. And of course, all memories of them were erased from everyone who met them.'

'So…how did you get here?' Bianca asked.

'I came across the castle by accident about eight months ago, while looking for my father. He'd gone Urston to try and sell more of his clocks, and hadn't returned. I was so worried, and then his horse returned from down the path. Hardly anyone had gone down that path since the curse had happened, because nothing else lay on that path. I then found a letter tucked into the empty saddle, telling me that I had to get to the castle. There was even a rough map drawn. I didn't know the castle was here, but I had to find father. So, I packed a bag of all the valuable things I could use to barter for his freedom, my mother's wedding ring, the silver chain, the ball gown you sent me Marion. I'm sorry, but I didn't know who would be there and I knew it would fetch a good price. I left immediately. And managed to find him here.'

'Don't worry about the dress. It was yours to do with as you please.' I told her. I'd almost forgotten that I had sent her the dress I had worn to Ella's ball.

'Wait, Marcus found the castle first?' Amelia asked. 'Well, that make more sense now!'

I turned to ask Amelia about that, but Bianca held her hand up to stop me. Isabelle would probably explain everything in time.

'Adam…had locked him the attic. He thought he was a spy, sent from the Faerie to spy on him. He argued that no one else had stumbled upon the castle, so only someone who had been told to go there, would. Adam just told them that the Faerie had sent a spy, and they didn't question it. It was only when I appeared and demanded to see my father did the others begin to support me. Jack in particular said he believed me. But they never said that they knew me. Or at least, not in my presence. And I didn't use my real name. I told them all I was called Belle.'

She sighed.

'Adam wasn't convinced, and said that if I really was his daughter, then he would let him go, if I agree to stay, to make sure he didn't report back to the Faerie of how well his torture was playing out. I agreed, to free my father. But I gave Adam hell for it.'

'I would expect nothing less.' I admitted, grinning.

Isabelle smirked a little, and then returned to her story.

'I don't know why they all kept it hidden from me. They all had met me before, but none of them ever admitted that they knew me. They claimed afterward to not want to confuse me, as I still couldn't remember them, even though they were right before me. I was given a room, and free range of the castle, other than Adam's private chambers, of course. He stayed mainly to his room, and I spent most of my time with the servants. It was nice, not perfect…but I could live with it. And it was strange, to have to answer to a name that was not entirely my own. But I knew why I was doing this. I was there to save my father from being here, and that helped me come to terms with it.'

A blush began to climb in Isabelle's cheeks, as she began to tell us the next part.

'One day, I wandered into the library while Adam was in there. Oh Marion, you would love the library here! Books lining every wall, all the way up to the ceiling! I'll show you later. Anyway, Adam and I ended up spending a long while in the library. And I noticed that the more times I went to the library, Adam would leave his rooms and come to join me. It took a long time for our conversation to not be…well, a shouting match. But after several weeks, we did manage it.'

'However, that all changed one day, when I decided to go exploring. I honestly had no idea that I was in the servant's rooms, no one was there. But it appears that I stumbled upon Jack's room. And he had left open a book on his bedside table. A drawing…of you.' Isabelle said, staring at me.

Amelia and Bianca turned to look at me.

'Told you so.' Bianca mumbled in a quiet voice.

'I recognised it, and thought that if they knew you, then why hadn't you told me about a hidden castle. That was until I flicked through the book to find other pictures. And one of me. I looked about thirteen or fourteen in the drawing. I knew they had been lying to me. No one was around for me to confront, so I went to find Adam, and to get some answers. I was so annoyed, that I burst into his rooms without notice, and began to shout at him. He shouted back. We both said words we didn't mean, and it ended with me running away, determined to leave the castle. And I would have done so, had I not slipped on the staircase and hit my head.'

She raised her hand to the back of her skull.

'It wasn't anything serious. But it was enough to knock me out. Adam apparently found me, and carried me up to my room. I woke up with a horrid headache, and found Adam asleep in the chair next to me. He had stayed by my side all afternoon, despite the words I had screamed at him. He apologised for what he had said, and promised me answers. But first, there was someone who wanted to talk to me. Adam left, and Jack entered.'

I was hardly breathing.

'Jack had brought his sketchbook with him, and had it open to the page that had me on. He told me that the curse they had all been placed under had made everyone forget that they existed. He also admitted that he had been the one to write me the note about my father. He had sent the horse back. Jack told me that I had once been good friends with him, and used the sketchbook to prove it.'

Then, she turned to me.

'And Marion, I'm so sorry. I told him I knew you. He asked what had happened to you. And I told him that you had gotten married.'

At that, my hope died.

Of course she had. She would have no reason to lie.

Jack knew.

He had known for a while.

No wonder he wasn't here. He most likely knew I would be coming, and fled as soon as he could.

'I didn't get chance to tell him that you were widowed, because he grabbed his book, and left the room. I didn't understand it at the time, so I didn't call after him. And my head was throbbing. I'm really sorry Marion, I had no idea!'

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I shook my head at Isabelle.

'You have nothing to apologise for. You didn't know, how could you.'

'Oh, come on!' Bianca cried.

'What?'

'I've been telling you that since the curse broke! Alexander told you that, Scar told you that. And you refused to listen to us. But you will forgive someone else for the same reason! You are impossible.' Bianca shouted.

'Why, what's the matter?' Isabelle asked.

'Marion's been unable to get past the fact that she married someone else while she couldn't remember that she was engaged to Jack. And we've been trying to tell her that it's not her fault, and that she didn't do anything wrong. But she won't hear a word of it.'

'Yes, but Isabelle only did what anyone would do. Not everyone would immediately get married only weeks after the curse.' I argued. 'I would forgive myself for a slip of the tongue like that, not a wedding.'

'Also, how come we weren't invited to your wedding!' Amelia asked.

'It's wasn't exactly planned. And no one was invited. I got engaged that afternoon, and we were married just after sundown. I barely had time to change my dress.' I told them, 'But that is a story for another time; Isabelle, please continue.'

Isabelle took a large deep breath, and then began to speak.

'After Jack left, Adam returned, and answered some of the questions I had about the curse. Not all of them, but enough to satisfy my curiosity. And we both apologised for what we had said in anger. But my wounded head had made me a little disorientated, and I was falling asleep before we properly finished our conversation. It took me several days of bedrest for me to feel strong enough to stand without being about to faint. And it took several more days for my headache to disappear entirely, no matter how many cold rags Mrs Potter brought me. After about a week, I was still in bed, and I asked Adam what was wrong with Jack. He said that he had locked himself in his room for most of the week. So I asked him to check on him.'

I had caused that. My marriage had caused Jack to lock himself away from everyone. He had been entirely alone and had known that I had betrayed him and broken the promise I had made to him. I had hurt him that much.

How could I have done that to him?

'I don't know exactly what was said between the two of them, but Adam returned…much happier for some reason. But Jack was still in low spirits. I'll have to ask Adam later. But when I was finally strong enough to leave my bed, it was Adam who stayed with me. He read to me, and walked with me. He would run off downstairs to get me some water when I asked. And when life returned to normal, he was more open, more caring. He ate with the servants and me, instead of staying in his room…he even started helping us with cleaning.'

'Well I say, miracles do happen.' Amelia muttered.

'No one had been in his private rooms since the curse had begun, and Adam is not the cleanest of people, so there was over a year's worth of dust and dirt to clean. Between the nine of us, it took us a week to properly clean everything. That's when I found the Rose.'

'A rose?' Bianca asked.

'Yes. It had been given to Adam by the faerie. Some sort of reminder to irritate him. I still don't know the full story. But it was dying, only a few petals remained. I inquired after it, and Mrs Potter explained that it served as an hourglass, to show them all how much time was left before the curse became permanent; how much time was left for them to find a way to break it. But no matter who I asked, no one would tell me how they could break the curse. They claimed not to know, even though it was painfully obvious that they did know.'

'So, what happened to the Rose?' Bianca asked

'It's dead. The last petal fell last night. Anyway, the months passed, and we all grew closer. And I spent more and more time with Adam.'

Her blush was almost the colour of a strawberry now.

'I kept inventing. There's a pulley system outside to help clean the windows, I can show you later. He helped with the heavy lifting and other things. And he really changed. He's kind, and caring, and intelligent; honestly, you wouldn't recognise him from the person he was before. We were quite content with our situation, and had almost forgotten the curse and the rose. That was until Luke arrived.'

'Oh yes, what happened to him?' Amelia asked.

'He fled the palace this morning, once he came around and remembered everything.' Isabelle said, with a smug grin.

'Wait, who is Luke?' I asked.

'He's new. Arrived a few months after you left. Claims to be a hunter, but he's all talk and no actual substance.' Amelia said. 'He was determined to flirt with every single girl in town. Or at least that's what he was like until he set eyes on Isabelle.'

Isabelle scowled.

'He's a horrid man. Not a single scrap of brain in his head. I seemed to be the only girl who didn't fall at his feet, and that irritated him. So he kept trying, for months. Kept telling me that 'someone as handsome as him should marry someone as beautiful as me, blah blah blah.''

'He sounds delightful.' Bianca mumbled.

'He didn't like that fact that I could read, and had ideas of my own. I think he was threatened by it, so tried everything he could to get people to turn against me. And he succeeded, with a few of the more idiotic ones. Somehow he thought he could bully me into it. This was just before I went to the castle.'

'Which is why we'd thought that you had simply run away, to go somewhere that you wouldn't have to put up with him.' Amelia reasoned. 'I know I would have gone.'

'Anyway, my father got sick. He's had a fever for the past few days, and was muttering all sorts of things in his sleep. I don't know if Luke barged into my house, or if word got around the village, but apparently my father was shouting about a disfigured beast who had taken me prisoner. Adam's mask was not pleasant, and from first glance, he might appear like a sort of monster. But Luke heard, and somehow attained the map that Jack had drawn for me that I had given to my father to help him on his way back, and decided that I would be ever so grateful if I was rescued from whatever beast had captured me, and I would fall at his feet and marry him. The nerve!'

'Is it possible to find this man, just so I can punch him?' I asked. Isabelle grinned.

'Don't worry, if he ever shows his face again, I'll do it myself.' She said.

'So, when did Luke find the castle?' Amelia asked.

'A four days ago. The rose was down to its final petal, and I didn't think we had come any closer to breaking the curse. So, to put our minds off it, Lucien suggested that was have a dance. We all dressed in our finest, I wore that dress you sent me Marion, and Adam lent the gentlemen some clothes. As it turns out, Mrs Potter knows how to play the piano, so she accompanied us. It was…a wonderful night. Although Jack didn't really join in. He dances one or two dances with Agnes, and that was all. Teddy too got bored of it quickly, and went outside briefly. And that was when he saw Luke and his friend talking about how they were going to get more men, and attack in three day's time, to 'Rescue' me. Teddy ran right back in to warn us.'

'It took days of planning, because we couldn't run. Or at least, they couldn't as they were all still confined to the grounds. Adam tried to get me to leave, telling me it would be safer. But I wouldn't go. If Teddy and Agnes had to stay, and they were only children, then I would be staying. And besides, I wanted to finally get Luke to stop pestering me. I thought after all this time, he would have forgotten. And I knew that I could help. We didn't know how many men Luke would be bringing, so we decided that the best way we could fight them off would be through traps and trickery, not by combat. And besides, none of really knew how to fight. Adam knew how to wield a sword, but other than that, no one knew what to do. And we didn't want to kill anyone, just frighten them off.'

'We pulled up floorboards, and balanced them back carefully, so they would move when someone stepped on them. We hung bags of flour and grain from the ceiling so they would drop if someone kicked the thin wire we placed on the ground. Teddy and Agnes took particular pride in spreading sticky pitch in front of the back doorways, so they would move slowly. One of my favourites was a set of pulleys and wires I placed around the ballroom to make things move without it looking like anyone was there. I guessed that Luke would bring strong, but stupid men. And generally the stupid ones are the superstitious ones. We all had positions, plans, and knew where to run and hide if we were overpowered. The only person who didn't want to fight was Jack. He had helped, but anyone could see that his heart wasn't in it.'

My own heart sank to hear that. That had been mere days ago, and he was still upset. I had caused him that much pain. Me, and my thoughtless actions.

'Adam suggested that I go and talk to him.' Isabelle said, looking to me. 'Jack didn't see the point in fighting, because the curse hadn't been lifted, and it wasn't going to be. And even if it was, he had nothing to go back to. By this point, I guessed that there had been something between the two of you. It was fairly obvious by the amount of drawings of you in his book.'

Tears sprung to my eyes, and I quickly tried to blink them away. He had been hopeless. So much so that he hadn't cared about the curse being broken, because I had hurt him so much.

'So, I asked him if the issue was about you. He told me that it didn't matter anymore. But I told him anyway. I told him everything you had written to me about, your father's death, the curse, the mad secret wedding, and the fact that you had been widowed. I even told him that you had given me that dress; that you had worn it before. It was after he heard this, that I saw the first spark of hope in him that I had seen in a long time. He barely finished hearing the words I spoke before he ran upstairs, and returned about half an hour later ready to fight, with more energy and enthusiasm than I had seen in him since the moment I entered the castle.'

Bianca only raised her eyebrows at me.

'It seems then, that there may be some hope after all. So, who was right?' She asked.

I scowled at her.

But even as my head wanted to protest, and argue that I had still hurt him, so he couldn't have forgiven me…my heart rose.

With hope.

If what Isabelle had said was true, then Jack had decided to fight…for me. After all this time, after everything I had done, he had still fought for me.

I didn't know what to think, or what to feel.

I couldn't get hopeful. Not when I knew that the moment I saw him, it could all come crashing down around me. And I'd been hurt too much for this lifetime, I needed to protect myself as much as I could.

But, there might be hope.

Hope that maybe…he feels the same way about me.

'So, we waited. Thompson had volunteered to keep a look out from the tower. He had a rope attached to a bell in the kitchen that he would ring when they arrived. And all we could do was wait. Mrs Potter made us so many cups of tea, I thought we were going to burst. We were all nervous, and Adam more so than everyone else. And as the clock began to strike midnight, the bell rang. They clearly wanted to steal me away in the dead of night, when they thought everyone might have been asleep. Everyone jumped, and began to run to their various places. But not Adam.'

Isabelle began to blush again.

'He took my hand as everyone else left, and waited until they had all gone. Then he started talking about this maybe being his last chance to say it, in case everything went wrong. I didn't understand, until he pulled me close and…kissed me.'

She glanced to the floor, but her smile was obvious in her tone of voice.

'He told me that he was in love with me, and he didn't want to leave me to fight without me knowing. Then, he promptly turned and left the room, and ran to his place. I was so stunned, I didn't have time to think, or say anything in response. But I had to get to the ballroom. So I ran. I waited for such a long time, which was good. I could hear the sounds of the men entering the castle and falling into the traps we had laid. But the silence gave me time to think…about what Adam had done and said. And the more and more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I think…over these past months…I had fallen in love with him too. I thought about him all the time, we spent hours together…and I was so scared for him in case he was hurt in this fight. I would have done anything to make sure he was safe. But then, the men arrived in the ballroom.'

Isabelle took a deep breath.

'And for the most part, it worked. There were about eight men in total. And they'd already fallen into several traps, judging by the nicely forming bruises on their heads, and the way some of them were limping. I was hidden behind a curtain as I pulled the wire. Most of them instantly thought that the castle must have been haunted by an evil spirit, who didn't want them there. The flickering candles, strange noises and opening window managed to make most of the men flee the castle, never to return. Only Luke and his friend stayed. And I just had to sneeze and ruin the whole thing. They found me, and grabbed me. I screamed and shouted, but he held his hand over my mouth and started dragging me away. I thought I would be taken, until he suddenly stopped, as Adam strode into the room with Jack and Lucien. Jack and Lucien dealt with the friend, while Adam went straight for Luke. He let me go to block Adam's blow, but held onto my wrist. I tried to pull free, but I just couldn't. That was, until Adam hit him square in the jaw, making him collapse to the ground and release me. I ran straight to Adam and held onto him. He asked if I was alright…but I didn't respond in words.'

She once again looked at the floor, her blush now reaching her neck.

'You kissed him. You can say the words.' I told her. Isabelle nodded.

'And when he pulled back, I told him that I loved him too. Everyone seemed to freeze at that. The others had finally joined us from where ever they had been waiting. But I didn't have time to ask what was the matter, as golden light began to swirl around everyone's feet. Jack, Polly and Lucien laughed as the golden light moved up and up and up, until it reached all of their masks, making them all fall to the floor. But still it kept climbing, higher and higher. Everyone was marvelling at how they finally had their faces back, and I got to see them all for the first time. I never knew how handsome Adam had been. Then the light reached the ceiling, and an almighty boom was released. It almost…moved through us. A few moments later, I got a horrible headache as memories of playing with Jack, and Lord Weston visiting the village came flooding back through my mind. It took me several seconds to realise that Adam was Lord Weston; he is so different now. But I finally knew who they all were. Mrs Potter was almost screaming with delight as she ran towards me, and thanked me for breaking the curse. Then Teddy joined, and then everyone else. It took several tears and shouts of joy before someone finally explained that the way to break the curse was to get Adam to fall in love, and have someone love him in return.'

'So, what happened to Jack? Why isn't he here?' Bianca asked.

My anticipation coiled in my stomach.

'He didn't stay long after it was broken. He stayed long enough for me to apologise for forgetting about our friendship, and he told me I had nothing to apologise for. Then, he asked me where you might be Marion.'

Hope rose within me. Higher and higher.

He asked about me?

He wanted to find me?

'I told him Rault. That was the last place I got a letter from you addressed from. He took a horse from the stables, but from what I could gather he only got as far as Milton last night. His mother found him, and made him stay with her the night. She arrived earlier to collect his things.'

Of course, Ellen.

She hadn't known she had a son. For nearly two years, she hadn't known that her child had been alive in the castle. Of course she would want him to stay with her. She was more entitled to his time than I was.

'So, he's gone to Rault?' I asked.

Isabelle nodded.

I glanced to Bianca.

'Go.' She said.

'What about you?' I asked.

'I'll stay around here. I still need to meet and talk to this 'Adam' person about things. You don't want me around when you see him again.' She smirked. 'If that's alright with you? Would you mind having me as a guest for the night?' She asked Isabelle.

Isabelle shrugged.

'It's not my castle. You'll have to ask Adam. But if you're waiting for Marion, I can't see him saying no.' She said.

I nodded, and then moved to embrace Isabelle.

'Thank you. For all you've done.' I told her.

'You don't have to thank me. Just find him.' She said.

I nodded, and then turned to Amelia, who was tapping her foot impatiently.

'Oh no you don't Marion Brown! I still want to hear about you title, and secret wedding and friendship with the princess! What on earth happened to you!'

'Well, it's actually Marion Thorne now. Lady Marion Thorne.' I told her. 'And I'll tell you everything when I get back. But Bea can tell you most of it. She was there for the entire war camp part.'

'War camp?!' Amelia cried.

'I'll be back soon. One way or the other. I promise.' I said, pulling Amelia in for another hug.

'Hurry back. I must know all the details.' She cried.

Then, I turned to Bianca.

She quickly pulled me in for a hug, and whispered, 'Use the birds. Just let me know of when you're coming back. Any news at all. If it's bad and you need me to come and find you, then just shout.'

I nodded against her head.

'I'll be back soon.' I told them, as I headed to the door.

'Don't worry Marion.' Isabelle said, 'You'll find him.'

I nodded as I stepped through the door, and back out into the crowd. I had to push through more and more people to head back out of the gates and back to Penny. Not wasting a second, I untied her reins and jumped on her back.

Jack was out there. And he was looking for me.

I had to find him.

I was going to find him.

And then maybe…

All this hope wouldn't be in vain.

I could only wish.

But there was hope. More hope than I had felt in a long time.

And love.

And so, galloping off down the path, I set off home.

Back to Rault.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen.**

I had walked this path many times.

It was familiar, and comforting. And also lonely.

With Bianca back in Milton, there was no one by my side to talk to. And I needed to talk. To someone, anyone.

I needed to make sense of everything. But only silence responded.

I never thought I would have to walk down this path again. But that isn't even what I was doing, I was riding.

Every few months or so, I would wander down this path, call out to Bianca, and then spend the next two days talking with her and walking. It had been something I had looked forward to. I remembered counting down the days until I would see her.

How strange that now seemed, now that we lived with her and saw her every day.

But there was someone else that I was now counting down the minutes until I saw.

And that thought almost made me sick. I wasn't sure if it was from excitement, or fear. Or quite possibly both.

Now that there was nothing to distract me, my mind was spinning.

Isabelle had explained so much, and yet not enough. There were still too many questions without answers.

The curse will have changed him. Almost two years of being confined; locked away from the outside world. Without any hope of escaping. I don't know how he survived it. I know for certain I couldn't have.

But how had it changed him? What was he like now?

Would he still laugh as easily as he did before? Did he still draw? Would he still be shy when he was in public? Or blush whenever I paid him a compliment?

Would I still be able to give him compliments, would he want to stay around me that long?

After all I had done to him, it wouldn't be a surprise if he didn't.

And I could practically hear Bianca's voice in my head telling me that I was being stupid, and that he would listen. Just as she had said constantly since we had set off.

But I still didn't believe it. And there was no Bianca here this time to disagree with me. Just the voice in my head. And that was easily overpowered by the nagging doubt that had crept into my mind.

What if he didn't want me to find him? What if he had left to get away from me? Maybe the only reason he asked where I would be so that he could avoid me, and instead had run in the opposite direction. Isabelle hadn't said that he was heading this way. We had just presumed.

He would have known that I would come to Milton. If he had stayed, he would have seen me.

So the only reason he would leave…would be to avoid me.

What if I had made a horrible mistake? I was chasing someone who didn't want to be found. I had gotten my hopes up, just to be disappointed once again.

Of course he wouldn't want to see me. I was the girl who claimed to love him, and then married someone else only weeks after abandoning him.

Maybe Isabelle had told the story wrong. He might have finally learned that he could move on when Isabelle told him about what had happened to me. That was probably the reason.

Why would he ever want to see me?

How could anyone want to be around me again?

I had caused so much pain to someone I cared about, while I had run off and fallen in love with someone else and enjoyed myself.

Those few weeks of happiness I had with James now seemed cruel. That I had been so happy, while Jack suffered.

But then…what of James?

How could I feel bad for spending time with him before he died? How could I feel bad for loving him?

Was it unfair to him to regret the time we had together? Could I regret it? I didn't think I did.

I didn't know what was right anymore. I didn't know what to feel. Other than guilt.

Maybe I had betrayed them both without realising it.

I had betrayed Jack by forgetting him, and betrayed James for lying. But was it lying when that was what I thought was the truth?

Too many questions, and no answers.

Just more silence, oppressing me from all sides. I wanted to scream, just to have something to listen to.

What had I done, to both of them? I had only done what I thought I could. I had married James to save my family from starvation and to give them a home. That could be justified.

But the falling in love couldn't. Not when I had been about to marry Jack.

So many hours I had wasted in that workshop with Amelia, just staring off in to the distance, dreaming about what being married was going to be like. I had been counting down the days, hours, until I walked down that aisle. To Jack.

But now, all I could think of was when I walked down the much smaller aisle, silent and destitute, to James.

I truly had made such a mess of everything.

Bianca's voice once again echoed through my head, arguing with me. And I knew she was right.

If I hadn't married James, then none of what happened after would have occurred.

Bianca would still be an outlaw, hiding from the world; because I wouldn't have had the title to go to the Royal court, or the companionship of Scarlett. She would never have married Alexander, and they never would have been as happy as they were now.

My marriage to James had been the cause of that. And the start of Nerissa's downfall.

So, for that reason, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.

I would never regret marrying him. Not when so much good came from it, even if pain to myself also occurred.

But that only made it harder to reconcile myself with the fact that I had no defence against what Jack was going to say to me. He could shout and scream at me all he wanted, and I would have nothing to say back; I could only accept how awful to him I had been.

And that was if I ever found him.

I had been on this road now for several hours, and was over halfway there. This journey went a lot faster on a horse; It took a day and a half to walk.

The only thing I could do was hope that he would be in Rault. I knew that if he truly wanted to avoid me, then this would be the last place he would go. And in all likeliness, he had gone anywhere other than to my home. But this was the only direction I had.

The hope was getting harder and harder to cling onto, now that I had thought it through.

He wouldn't be there. He went somewhere he knew I wouldn't look. He never wanted to see me again. And with good reason.

Who would ever want to see someone as despicable as me? How could anyone stand to be near me?

This was all my fault. I had done this. I had ruined everything.

I deserved this; all this pain and guilt.

I was going to have to live the rest of my days knowing that I had done this. I had done this to someone I had loved.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I pulled Penny to a halt.

What was I doing? Why was I looking for him, when he would just reject me? Should I turn back?

Should I just go back? And try to live my new life? Watch as all my siblings grew up and fell in love, and moved away and had families of their own. I would stay in the palace, trying to live with the guilt. And one day, I'd hear that Jack had found another, more deserving girl to marry. One who didn't abandon him and marry someone else. And I would hear about their perfect life together, and their perfect children…knowing that it might have been me, if I hadn't ruined everything. That could have been my happiness.

And my heart would break all over again. Because it hadn't broken enough times already.

What was waiting for me, just more pain and hopelessness?

A felt a sob claw its way up my throat, and I tried my best to keep it down.

That was until I noticed where I was.

To anyone else, it looked like any other patch of forest. Trees all around, and the path before and behind them.

But, just off to my left…there was a glade. A small opening of grass, visible from the road.

At the sight of it, I did let the sob loose.

I was here. I was back.

Slowly lowering myself to the ground, I blinked away my tears as I took Penny's reins, and led her towards it.

A year and a half since I had last been here.

And the conversation that had changed my life. And had started all of this.

Tying Penny to a tree, she lowered her head and began to nibble at the grass beneath her. But I stumbled forward.

Right into the centre of the glade.

Why did it have to be here!

Another sob wracked my chest.

As the memories hit me.

James, standing before me, his eyes wide with hope and excitement that his plan would work.

 _'_ _You could marry me.'_

His voice sounded through my head and my heart.

This was the glade that he had proposed. I had been running from the cottage in the woods, once that hunter threw me out. I stopped James as he rode down the main path, before he arrived at the cottage.

His mad plan to make sure we were all cared for and looked after.

' _Marry me.'_

This was the place that I had agreed, and betrayed Jack. Where, for the good of my family, I had agreed to marry another man, only two months after our planned wedding day.

More tears began to roll down my cheeks.

I recalled the excitement I had felt on that day. That I was going to marry James. It wasn't perfect; we'd only been courting for three days, but it had possibility to grow. Which it did.

Until that horrid September day.

The day I had lost him forever.

And now, I was going to lose Jack. No, I had already lost him.

I had lost both of them, and it was all my fault. Right here, this was where I had damned myself to a lifetime of unhappiness.

This was what I had to live with the rest of my life. Alone, unloved, because I had made the wrong choice.

That fae fortune teller had been right this entire time. I was going to lose my happiness twice. And she had never said anything about getting it back. Because I wasn't going to. I wasn't worth being loved.

Another sob clawed at my chest, and I fell to my knees and I let it out.

Even now, knowing how much I had ruined everything with Jack, I couldn't stop thinking about James.

How he had cared for me, when no one else would. He had married me, with no expectation of anything in return, just because it was the right thing to do. I was never going stop being grateful to him for what he did for me and my family.

But I could never tell him that. Because he was dead. And never coming back. I couldn't tell him about Jack, about Bianca, about Scarlett and Alexander, about any of it.

And I missed him. So much. I knew I was never going to stop wanting him to be here with me.

But he wouldn't be. Because I was all alone. And I would be for the rest of my life. I had done this. I had caused this.

The tears flowed freely now.

I thought I was past this; past the grief. It had been a year, and I'd been doing so much better. But no amount of time would ever dull how much I missed him.

I wasn't sure now what I felt more of, grief or guilt. James or Jack.

I lifted my hand to wipe away my tears, and then let it fall on my neck.

To where my necklace lay. My emerald and engagement ring, side by side.

The two loves I was never going to get back.

The two loves I had lost.

And there was no hope for me anymore. I could go back to the palace and try and smile for Bea and my siblings. But I knew that I would always feel pain. The pain I had caused.

Sobbing, I lowered my head, letting my tears fall on my dress.

There was no point continuing. Why try to find someone who didn't want to be found by you? Someone who would be far better off without you in their life.

Someone who had a chance to live their life now. Free to do as they wished. Why would he possibly want to spend another second even thinking of me?

Another sob wracked my chest, and I moaned. Clutching my necklace, the last reminder I had of any happiness, I let myself cry.

Vaguely behind me, I heard hoof beats. Penny must have been trying to pull on her reins again. It didn't bother me. I wouldn't want to be near me either.

But then they stopped. Something had calmed her down.

More tears, more pain.

Why here? Why had I stopped here? Why was I back?

Why did it hurt so much?

The snap of a branch made me look up quickly.

Too quickly to wipe away my tears.

As a blurred shape stood a little way away.

A blurred shape…

With red hair.

'Marion?'

I knew that voice.

It was as familiar as my own.

Blinking away my tears, the shape slowly came into focus.

As the shape of a young man.

A young man with freckles…and the most wondrous eyes I had ever seen.

My heart stopped.

He was staring at me. Just as I was staring at him. I couldn't seem to move.

Neither of us were breathing. I think I'd forgotten how.

Two years. It had been almost two years since I had last set eyes on that face.

But here he was. Right in front of me.

Not running, not hiding from me.

He'd found me.

'Jack?' I whispered.

Without speaking, Jack took a tentative step towards me.

And then another.

Faster this time.

And another.

Suddenly, all the thoughts in my head vanished. All the pain and suffering and guilt just disappeared.

Because all I could think about was him.

He was here.

He had come to find me.

Pushing myself off the ground, on shaking legs, I managed to walk.

And then run.

Run towards the boy I loved.

He started to smile as he too ran at me.

Faster and faster, we approached.

Another step, and then another.

He opened his arms just in time for me to run into. I hit him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, the breath almost knocked out of me.

I felt red hair under my fingers, the rough cloth of his clothes against my skin.

Solid. Real. Not a dream.

Jack was here.

He was real.

I pulled him tighter than I had ever thought possible.

Jack was here.

'Jack.' I managed to say through a strangled sob.

His arms tightened around me, as his head sunk into my shoulder.

'You're here!' He cried, his voice shaking.

'You are here!' I sobbed in response.

He was talking to me. Actually speaking to me.

Jack had found me. He wasn't repulsed, or angry. He simply held me as tightly as I held him.

And I couldn't take it. Bursting out into more sobs, I tried to bury my face into his shoulder. But by the way his shoulders were also shaking, it seemed that he was crying to.

'Don't cry.' I whispered, through my own tears. 'Please don't.'

At that, he loosened his grip on me enough to pull back.

And that was when I truly got to see those eyes that always had the power to mesmerize me.

'You're crying.' He said in response.

I tried to blink away my tears, to no avail.

I hadn't let myself hope that this might happen. That somehow, he wouldn't be mad at me.

'I…I just…I didn't….' Was all I managed to say.

'Don't cry.' He begged. 'Not because of me.'

Taking a deep breath, I tried my best to calm down.

'You're here.' I said.

He nodded, a smile breaking out across his lips.

And my heart felt like it was going to burst.

'Why?'

That one word.

Why did I have to say that? What possessed me to say that.

He drew back, and frowned.

'What do you mean why?' He asked.

Then, all the doubt began to pour back in. All those thoughts that had vanished from my head only moments ago returned with a vengeance.

I was worthless. I had betrayed him, and wasn't worth his love. Or even friendship.

Pulling back, I made Jack drop his arms from around me, and felt their absence immediately.

'Why did you find me?' I asked, my voice shaking. 'Why would you want to find me?'

His frown only deepened as he scanned my face, confused.

And I finally got to see him properly.

He looked almost exactly the same as he had done before. A little thinner maybe, and paler.

But the most noticeable change was a healed scar on his left cheek. Some sort of gash just below his cheekbone. It glinted silver now, but it looked like it had been deep.

Who had hurt him? How? Why?

What else had he had to suffer while I had abandoned him?

'Marion, why wouldn't I want to find you? Isabelle said you were in Rault. Haven't you come here to find me?'

I nodded, but looked away.

'Yes, but…'

I couldn't find words to finish.

'But what?' He asked.

'I didn't think you'd want to see me.' I admitted, staring at the ground beneath my feet.

Unable to see Jack's reaction, I waited for it to come. The hate, the shouting and screaming. I more than deserved it.

'Marion, of course I wanted to see you! You're all I've thought about since…well, since the curse started. All I wanted was to get away so I could see you!' He said.

And I knew he meant well.

But those words only served to heighten the guilt already building with in me.

I hadn't thought about him. Not in nearly two years.

'But that's just the point. I haven't thought about you, not until last night.' I admitted, the lump rising in my throat once again.

'I don't care. It makes no difference to me whether you remembered me last night, or three minutes ago. The point is that you came to find me. And that I can see you again.' Jack argued, lifting my chin so I stared at him in the face. His smile broke my heart.

'You wouldn't want to know me after you know what's happened.' I said.

Jack shook his head.

'Is this about your marriage?' He asked.

Unable to meet his eye, I turned away.

'Marion, I don't care. I really, truly don't. You were cursed, you didn't know what you were doing!'

That only served to make the tears pour from my eyes again.

Bianca had been right. Those were the exact words he had used.

'I've made such a mess of everything.' I sobbed.

Footsteps sounded, and Jack appeared before me.

'No you haven't. Marion, please don't believe that you did anything wrong. I beg you.' He told me, reaching for my hand. As soon as his skin touched mine, I recoiled.

Not from anything he'd done. But for myself. He deserved much better than me.

'Marion?' He asked. 'Please.'

'But you can't still care for me!' I cried. 'I left you. Alone. For almost two years, Jack. And I had a life. And while the last year has been terrible, there were three months before that were…not. Despite my curse, and all the other troubles, I was happy. And I had that while you were locked away in that castle! So I don't know how you can say it doesn't matter, when I can't forgive myself for it.'

I turned to walk away, but Jack grabbed my hand.

'Marion, please listen.' He begged, pulling me back to him.

Lifting my gaze, I met his eye.

'You have nothing; nothing…to apologise for. None of this was your fault. It was all that damned faerie, who I will find one day.'

I shook my head.

'No, don't argue, it wasn't your fault.' Jack said.

'No, it's not that. You won't find the faerie, he's dead.' I told him.

Jack's mouth fell open.

'Lady Annette killed him last year for trying to steal her son.' I explained. 'But that's something for another time.'

Jack looked like he was going to ask, but then stopped.

'Marion, I don't care that you got married. I don't care that you never thought of me for all these months. That was out of your control. That was the curse. You had a life, and I can't be upset at you for that. All I care about is that you came to find me, because you remember.'

I took a shaky breath, and then asked.

'Do you care that I fell in love?'

He stared at me.

'With your…husband? Or someone else?'

'With my husband.' The word sounded strange to say to Jack.

'The one who died?'

'I only had one! How many times do you think I got married?' I cried.

'Sorry, that was stupid of me.' He said. His hand still gripped mine. I glanced down to it.

I was holding his hand. How long had it been since we had been able to do this? How could it feel so right?

Jack seemed to notice this too, as he raised our joined hands, and lowered his face, until his lips pressed against my skin.

My heart leapt, and I couldn't stop the small sigh that escaped me.

He always used to do that. Whenever we were alone. There was no reason for it, no motivation.

'Marion, I don't care.' He whispered. 'Why would your past matter to me? Do you care that I've hardly been outside in two years?'

I found my head shaking before I could even think it through.

'Well, there you are.' He told me, gripping my hand just a little tighter.

'So…you don't…hate me?' I asked in a small voice.

Jack loosed a shaking breath.

'No! Of course not. How could I ever hate you?' He cried, but then he stared at me. 'Is that what you think? That I would hate you?'

I froze.

Because that was the truth. I had truly believed that he would never want to see me again, despite what everyone told me.

'I would understand.' I told him. 'If you wanted to say that.'

His eyes widened with shock.

As I saw this, slowly, a small sliver of hope began to creep into my heart.

He…didn't hate me. After everything I had done.

'I would never say that. Never.' He said. 'I could never think that of you.'

Meeting his gaze, I saw no falseness there. He meant it. He really did.

And that opened the small crack in my heart.

As hope poured in.

He didn't hate me. There might be a chance that…

I was almost too scared to continue that sentence in my head.

It could mean various things. Just because he didn't hate me, that didn't mean he wanted to go back to the way things were.

The things I had missed in the very small space of time I'd had to miss them.

A beam broke out across my face, as I let go of his hand, and almost jumped on him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders again.

'I missed you!' I cried, clinging to him with every fibre of my being.

His arms slowly tightened around my waist again, as he whispered, 'I missed you so much.'

My ragged breathing only became more undone, as more tears sprung from my eyes.

'You have no idea of how much I waited for this.' Jack said quietly. 'How many times I dreamed of this.'

One of his arms moved up my back, and his fingers tangled in my hair. His heart was hammering through his chest. It was so loud that I could feel it.

I still couldn't believe that fact he was here. I could touch him, and speak to him, and smell, hear and see him.

The servant boy I had completely fallen in love with. Real and before me, once again.

However, being so close to him meant that a rather uncomfortable bump was pressing into my collarbone.

And I suddenly found myself doubting everything again.

Pulling back, I moved to wipe my tears away, but Jack had already moved his hand from my hair, and brushed the warm tears away from my cheek. His own eyes were glinting with silver. His hand shook slightly as he moved.

And then his eyes fell on my necklace.

Making him freeze.

'You still have it?' He asked, breathlessly.

I could only nod.

'But you don't wear it?'

He sounded unsure. I think we both were.

Because at last, the issue of our engagement had arisen.

Or our lack of engagement. Was there even a term for people who had been betrothed before a curse separated them, and one of them was married and widowed? I didn't this situation had occurred before.

'No.' I said honestly.

Jack seemed to hesitate for a moment.

'Why not?'

Why not. He hadn't asked why, but 'Why not?'

As if he still wanted me to wear it. Like he had expected me to.

Did that mean…

I could only stare at him.

'I'm sorry, of course you can wear or not wear whatever you want.' He clarified, looking to the floor, his cheeks staining a little pink from embarrassment. 'I only meant…'

He couldn't seem to find the words to finish the sentence.

'I didn't wear it, because I didn't think that…that you would want to see me, let alone have me presume…' I answered.

His head snapped up at that.

We both stared at each other, leaving the exact words unspoken between us.

 _Ask me. Just say it._ The words sounded through my mind again and again. But Jack couldn't read my thoughts. He stayed silent.

My arms were still hooked around his shoulders and his were still wrapped around my waist.

And for some reason, a very old piece of advice came to mind.

 _'He's very shy, especially around girls. No matter how much he wants to act, you will have to make the first move. Confidence was never his strong point.'_

Lucien had told me that the very first time I had gone to the castle. He had clearly noticed what had gone on between the two of us, and was trying to push us in the right direction. That had been over three years ago now. Just after I had moved to Milton.

And for some reason, the words still rang true. All this time later. Even after everything that had happened, Jack was still are nervous as he had been at nineteen.

Slowly, I moved my arms across his shoulders and pulled them down, so my hands touch his cheek. Jack closed his eyes and released a small sigh when fingers grazed the top of his cheekbone.

Here, he was here.

After all this time, he was here.

Almost two years had been wasted between the two of us. Two years of lost time we had to make up for.

So I knew that I wasn't going to waste a single second of it.

This time, I wasn't letting him go. I wasn't going to lose him to curses or death, or anything else the world decided to throw at me.

There had been enough suffering; no more.

Pulling his face down gently, I leaned up, having to slightly elevate myself onto my toes. Jack opened his eyes, full of hope.

So, I took a chance.

'I still love you Jack.' I whispered.

And then I pressed my lips to his.

Jack's arms tightened around me, and I felt a smile break out against my mouth.

He was smiling. He wanted me.

Kissing me back, Jack held me tighter than I thought possible. I thought my heart was going to burst with joy. My fingers tangled in his beautiful red hair, and I finally allowed myself to kiss him without restraint.

Pure joy flowed out of me.

Again and again, his lips moved over mine. Just the way they had done before. Before the pain and suffering, before everything that had broken my heart.

And I had it back.

Eventually, I had to pull away so I could breathe. But I couldn't stop the smile on my face.

And Jack couldn't stop his.

His eyes shone, just like they always used to.

'I spent so many nights dreaming that I would get to do that again.' He admitted.

I was still trying to get air back into my lungs when I noticed that he hadn't actually said it back.

'And I spent far too many days trying to think of what you were doing. How you were living your life. What had happened to you.'

He still hadn't said it.

Was it possible…that I was mistaken?

Maybe he didn't feel it back.

'This is all so much better than I imagined.' He told me.

My smile had dropped without me noticing.

'Marion?' Jack asked. 'What's wrong.'

'You don't love me anymore.' I muttered under my breath. He heard, because he froze.

I started to pull back further, but Jack only tightened his grip on me.

'What?' He asked. 'How could you possibly think that?'

'You didn't say it.' I admitted.

Jack shook his head, and moved one of his arms from around my back to cup my face.

'I'm so in love with you Marion Brown, that I can't say it.' He whispered, before kissing me again.

All my doubts vanished from my head as he held me tighter and tighter, and I could barely think beyond where his lips met mine.

Jack loved me.

After all this time, after everything that had happened.

He loved me.

He still loved me.

So, for those few moments, I let myself be swept up in the fantasy of it all.

Because I was in love with him too.

I might not have always been, but it was true now. I felt in in every fiber of my being.

I loved Jack.

I had found my true love.

And I was never going to let him be taken from me ever again.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty.**

Time no longer mattered to me. I could spend the rest of my life right here in this glade, and I wouldn't care.

For I was with the boy I loved. And nothing could compare to that.

I lost track completely of how long we stayed there.

I couldn't seem to get enough of him. I simply couldn't help myself. After so long apart, neither of us seemed to want to move. And we had two years of lost time to make up for.

Including two year's worth of kissing to make up for.

I hadn't realised how much I had missed this. Even though it had been less time for me than for Jack.

Just being able to hold someone, and to know that they cared as much as you did. To finally not feel alone.

I'd had my family with me, but what I had felt was a different type of loneliness. One that couldn't be filled with family, no matter how many siblings you had. Or seven was too small a number.

Somehow, Jack and I managed to break apart long enough to sit on the grass in the glade.

We needed to talk. There were far too many questions that still remained unanswered. And we'd been apart for longer than we had known each other in the first place.

We had both changed. Curses had the strange effect of doing that. We were completely different people than the two people who had dreamed of a life together.

'I have questions.' I managed to tell him, as he reached for my hand, sitting opposite me.

'So do I.'

We both paused.

'So, who first?' I joked.

'I don't care.'

'Well, I think I heard most of your tale from Isabelle. The curse, her arrival and the attack last night.' I said.

'Isabelle could always tell a good story. Or at least she could after she could read properly' Jack grinned. 'So, what else do you want to know?'

Inhaling, I tried to prepare myself for the answer.

'Where did you get the scar?' I asked, pointing to his cheek. Jack instinctively raised his hand to touch it.

'I forget that it's visible now.' He sighed. 'Is it that bad?'

I shook my head.

'No, it's like…a silver mark. But you didn't have it before.'

Jack lowered his hand.

'I did it myself.' He admitted.

I felt my stomach drop. He had done it to himself? What on earth could have possessed him to hurt himself?

'What?'

'Accidentally.' He clarified. 'But there's no way of telling you doesn't make me sound like a complete idiot.'

I just sat and waited for him to continue.

'It was my mask. I despised it. Everyone else hated their own as well. But I was stupid enough to try and see if the curse could be broken by trying to remove it. Nothing worked. Steam, oil, ice. We couldn't get them to move. So about a week after the curse, I was desperate enough to try to pry it off with a knife.'

I gasped involuntarily.

'You what?' I cried.

'Nothing else worked. And I thought I was getting close, until my hand slipped, and…'

He pointed to his face again.

'Thankfully, Mrs Potter was around to stop the bleeding, and to give me a good telling off about never doing anything like this again.'

'At least someone had some sense.' I said. Jack grinned.

'She really is rather remarkable. But I had managed to get blood everywhere, and all over my mask and she couldn't wash it out. And mine wasn't made of metal or porcelain like everyone else, where it could just be wiped clean.'

'What was yours made off? Isabelle said it was blue and green.' I asked.

'It wasn't always. That was just to cover up the blood stain. No, everyone else got fine or precious materials. And I got canvas.'

'Canvas?'

'Yes, like made out of hardened fabric. To paint on. Which was why it soaked up so much of the blood. For a good week, I had to walk around with a large dark red spot on my cheek, that was slowly turning brown. Eventually, I got fed up with it, and found my old oil pastels and started to cover it up. I wanted anything that wouldn't remind me of blood, so it became a mix of blues and green. I spent hours in front that mirror, trying to make it look like something I could live with.'

He smirked.

'I guess it was the curse's way of trying to help. By giving me a mask that I could draw on. After a while, we all guessed that our masks were supposed to reflect us in some way. Adam's showed 'his true form' as the faerie put it. Mrs Potter's was porcelain, reliable and yet beautiful. Teddy's was the same, but he managed to chip his after two weeks. Lucien's seemed gold at first glance, but when we really examined it, it was some other metal covered in golden paint. That seemed to suit him well; outgoing and bold on the outside, but really something else once you got to know him.'

He squeezed my hand and smiled.

'My turn?' He asked.

I nodded calmly.

But inside my head, I was anything but calm. How on earth was I going to explain everything, in a way that didn't make him get up and leave?

'I want to know…about your...' He sighed, 'Husband.'

Those were the words I'd been dreading.

I knew it would have to happen. I would have to explain myself. But now that he had gotten my hopes up, it was all the more difficult to say.

I sighed.

'How much do you know?'

He shrugged.

'I only know what Isabelle told me. How much of did you tell her?'

'A fair amount, up until last September. After that, I hardly picked up a quill. But, I think I should probably start at the beginning.'

I could do this.

I could tell my story, and try and get through it without too many tears.

I could be strong.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my back.

'So, it all started the day after…our wedding day. A letter came from Alexander, to tell me that our father had fallen ill. I knew that he hadn't been eating well and was weaker than I'd ever seen him. I didn't know that we had only hours left. I left Milton immediately, and… he died the next day.'

Jack squeezed my hand.

'I'm so sorry.' He told me. 'I liked him.'

I nodded.

'Life went on without him, it had to.' I told him.

Describing my day to day life from that time after my father's death was surprisingly hard.

I'd had forgotten how much I had missed him. Due to everything that had happened afterwards, I'd never really talked about it to anyone. I hadn't realised how much I had needed to. But finally, telling Jack seemed to lift my heart.

But then, I finally reached the day the of Springbloom. The day the faerie had arrived, and changed my life forever.

I told Jack every detail of that horrid day. The way I had pleaded and been forced to watch as his magic surrounded them, transforming them. Then, the way he had turned all the villagers against us, the mob, how we had fled for our lives. And of course, my silence.

Then came the part of how we ran to the cottage. I had to stop a minute to explain how I knew Rose from when I had almost been captured with Bianca. Jack broke his silence at that.

'Bianca? Whose Bianca?'

'Blanche. Her real name is Bianca.' I told him, forgetting that he wouldn't know that.

'Oh, the wanted criminal who thought it would be funny to pretend to kidnap you to prove some point?'

I nodded.

'That's her.'

He sighed.

'I can't say I'm surprised. I knew it would be dangerous if you stayed near her.'

'Just wait until I get to the war camp.' I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately, I didn't say it soft enough, as Jack's eyes went wide.

'War camp!' he cried.

'Later.'

'No, how about now?' He exclaimed.

'It comes much later. And it involves people you don't know. And it would be far too complicated to explain while you don't know Scarlett.'

Jack thought for a moment, but then sat back in defeat and let me continue.

I spoke about Rose, in her cottage with her strange Aunts, and how we had hidden from the guards the Duchess had sent to find Bianca. How Rose had been all alone and isolated for her entire life, and wanted to know about the outside world. And then how we had returned to the cottage only a month later to find it abandoned, and stayed there; hidden and safe.

But then of course came the day that we had been found.

By James.

And I had to tell Jack everything.

About how James had recognised me, and stayed with me as I wrote out what had happened and tried my best to explain it. And then how James had left, only to return the next morning with a slate and some chalk to help me communicate with everyone.

I told Jack about the times when James came to the cottage, nearly every day for two weeks, bringing food and supplies. And Robbie's birthday.

And I told him about what had happened that night.

How James had kissed me for the first time.

I couldn't meet his eye when I said this. Not after all the pain I caused, and was going to cause to him by telling my story.

And then, of course, came the day the hunter had returned. The day that my life had turned completely on its head.

Jack listened as I spoke about the Hunter's arrival, and how he had thrown me out of 'his' hunting lodge. And how I had ended up right here, in this glade.

It felt so strange to be telling him the story while I was sat in the glade itself.

As I spoke, I could almost see James stood in front of me. He had been right here when he had thought of his mad plan to save my family.

The mad plan that I had agreed to, right on this spot a year and a half ago. Almost to the day.

Our marriage. That had brought my such joy and pain. But even after everything that had happened, I couldn't find it in myself to regret it. I truly had loved James, even if we only really had weeks together.

And I told Jack all of this. He deserved the truth from me. I didn't look at him when I told him about James's plan to move us all to the manor house and hide my family. I told him how I had worn my emerald ball gown, the dress I now knew was meant to be my wedding dress for Jack. The more I remembered, the more pain I seemed to have caused him.

I had worn my wedding dress to marry another man. That was almost a heartless thing to do.

But I told him regardless. I told him how I had married James, still silent. I even told him about the irritating priest who wouldn't accept my nod as agreement of my wedding vows. And how he had nearly called the whole thing off when I refused to vow to obey James. Out of the corner of my eye, I did see Jack grin at that.

And then came the part of moving to the manor, and hiding my siblings in the attic, away from the servants. How we had all adjusted to our new life. Even if I couldn't stand my new servants, and they couldn't stand me.

I spoke of how Bianca came to find me, having being captured and recently escaped. She did not approve of James's method of helping.

'In fact, I thought she was going to murder him right there and then.' I said.

Jack shrugged.

'She didn't take to well to me, and I'd known you for nearly two years, and had been courting you almost as long. I can understand that she wouldn't approve of your marriage after three days.'

'Yes, she is a little overprotective like that. I'm still not sure that she trusts Alexander, even after all this time.'

'Alexander? Your brother? Why wouldn't she trust him?' Jack asked. 'She can't object to your family looking after you can she?'

A sly smile found its way onto my lips.

'Well…it's not me she's protecting. It's someone else.'

'Someone's she protecting from your brother? Did you and he fall out? Or did he and Bianca fall out?' Jack questioned.

'Neither. And I doubt they will now there's a-'

I stopped myself just in time.

'A what?'

'Never mind, I'll get to it later. It concerns people you've never met, and we hadn't at this point.'

Jack looked puzzled, but I started talking again, making him silence his questions.

My tale continued as I told him about my first month or so of married life, and how the two servants Martha and Helen used to tease me for my silence and call me names. And how it all came to a head when they tried to hurt Gwen in her animal form. I had slapped Martha accidentally, and they had run to James, burned my book in revenge, and eventually had been told to leave.

And then of course, came the dream I'd had that night.

The dream where the Faerie had appeared to me, and shown me one of my memories.

'You saw me? When was this?' Jack asked.

'The end of June. So three months after you were cursed.'

Jack nodded, but clearly wanted to speak.

It was painfully obvious what he wanted to ask; he wanted to know why I didn't come to find him if I knew.

'He showed me a memory from just after our first kiss. The two of us running through the forest. And he was there as well.'

'James?'

'No, the faerie. He was… troubled. I'm still not completely sure why. He told me something about my suffering, to save the most. And he said that one day I would understand, and possibly forgive him. He did say though that you might not.'

Jack scoffed.

'After everything, no. I will certainly not forgive him.' He stated. 'He didn't just hurt me, but you as well. I don't care what his reasons were, I'm just very glad he's dead.'

I shrugged.

There was a small nagging thought in the back of my mind. That maybe he had been right; that there was a reason that Jack and I had been separated, and why I had to suffer so much, with my silence and the curse on my family.

Even with my memories back, it still didn't make sense. Why did he even curse the castle's inhabitants in the first place? Isabelle hadn't explained that, and Jack didn't seem to know why, or he might be a little less harsh on the faerie.

'Anyway, I was rather shaken after that dream, and almost broke my silence. Luckily James heard me fall out of bed, and rushed in to calm me down. That was the first night we…'

I stopped myself.

I didn't need to give Jack all the explicit details of my life with another man.

There was no need to make Jack more upset by telling him about the first night James had slept in my bed. And while nothing had happened, that still seemed unnecessarily cruel to tell.

'You…what?' Jack asked. 'I though he had agreed not to touch you until the curse had finished!'

I shook my head.

'No! We didn't…do that. He just stayed in my…bed. Nothing else happened. I just didn't want to be alone.'

Jack took a moment to think this through. It clearly affected him, but he still didn't say a word against me. So I continued.

'The next week, Ella, Christopher and baby Jonathan came to visit. It was so nice to have a familiar face back with me. And while it was difficult to communicate, I got to see her for the first time in far too long. James left the next day to go to town to deal with some business matter, and returned the following day…with this.'

I pointed to the emerald that still remained around my neck.

'I've worn it every day since. I almost can't stand to feel my neck bare without it. And I honestly don't know if I would have worn it every day, if he had not passed away. But it feels like there is still something there to remind me of him… I know it sounds silly and childish, but, I can't do without it.'

Jack squeezed my hand.

'It's not silly.' He admitted, but said nothing further.

'And the week after that, James turned Twenty-four, so he invited his closest friends from school to dinner with us. Christopher, Antony and his other friend Philip. But Philip never arrived, and they all worked out that he hadn't replied to any of their letters, or visited them in the past several months. He'd written to them about meeting some girl in the forest, and they hadn't heard anything about him since. I recognised this girl to be Rose, the young woman who used to the live in the cottage until she also mysteriously disappeared. So, they all set off the following day to try and track him down. They were gone for about a week. But just before he left, James told me that…that he…'

'That he loved you.' Jack finished.

I sighed.

'Yes.'

'And you told him you loved him.' Jack said; not as a question, but more of a statement.

I could only nod.

I had no defence for it. No lie to invent. Jack deserved the truth, even if it was not what he wanted to hear.

We both sat in silence for a few moments. I didn't know what to say to him. Did I try to apologise, to beg forgiveness? Did I tell him that it didn't matter, because I loved him now?

But it did matter. Because I had loved James. It was part of my story, and nothing was going to change that.

'At some point during all of this, I found myself in the manor's library and discovered a rather interesting book called the origins of mythology. It had several pages on the true nature of the fae, and their powers and abilities. There's thirteen ruling faeries on their 'council', and the one that cursed both of us was one of them. I also found the part about their curses and how they could only be broken by the faeries death, unless they bind their magic to it, so it outlives them. Which is what I suspect happened to you.' I told him.

'I wrote it out, and sent a note to Ella and Christopher, hoping they might be able to find out more. I didn't think anything of it, because I never heard anything back from them until much later. James returned from his unsuccessful hunt for his friend; although they did get a note from him saying he was alive and well, but nothing else. We spent the next month…growing closer, and….'

Once again, I found that none of the details of the next month were important, and it would only upset Jack more.

So, I moved ahead to that day in the second week of August.

When a magical tremor had passed through us all, and my siblings began to transform in broad daylight.

And how I had finally opened my mouth for the first time in three and a half months, and screamed at the sky. My freedom, at everything that had happened. I had my siblings back, and my voice. I told Jack about how James had heard my screaming, and run down to the pond, only to find me and Clara still standing in the water. Bianca had arrived later, having heard my screams, and thought something was wrong.

'How on earth did Blanche hear your cries?'

I sighed. Was there a way to avoid the question? I knew there probably wasn't. And there was no way that the incident at the war camp could be explained without Jack knowing of Bea's gift.

It was Jack, he could certainly be trusted with the secret. Not that it was much of a secret anymore, after Daniel and I had blurted it out in front of everyone when Scarlett had gone missing.

'Bea…she has a special set of gifts. As does her sister.'

'She has a sister?'

I nodded. Choosing to omit the fact that they were also our sisters, but that came later.

'They can understand animals. Bea was given this gift as a small child. It's how she evaded capture for so long, because the birds in the forest can repeat things back to her, and warn her when there were guards or hunters looking for her. It's how I was able to meet her in the forest every time, I went home. All I had to do was shout to the birds, and they would repeat the message back to her. They heard my cry as I was released from the curse, and told her. She arrived about half an hour later.'

Jack's mouth dropped open.

'You mean she…she…is magic?' he asked.

That astounded me.

'She's…I wouldn't say magic…' I answered.

But then I had to stop.

She had died, and returned.

If that didn't count as magic, I don't know what would.

Everyone who had been at the war camp had thought that she was magic. Word was already around the county; it wouldn't be long until everyone in the entire country knew.

'She's special.' I finally admitted. 'Where was I?'

'Blanche came to find you after your curse ended.' Jack said.

'Ah yes. So, we celebrated, in daylight. And that night, I made the choice to…make our marriage…permanent.'

It was the least hurtful way I could think of to describe it. Even so, I couldn't meet Jack's eye.

He shifted a little uncomfortably. But that was all the reaction he gave.

I didn't know if that was good or bad. Was that normal? But what even was normal for this situation?

'The next few days were perfect. Daniel turned eighteen, and the day after, James and I left for the sea for a week. When we returned, James found our wedding invitation. He got upset, and I confronted him about it. And I argued against him; I can't believe that I fought him on it.' I told Jack. 'Now that I remember, I can't believe that I ever forgot. I insisted again and again that I'd never been courted by anyone else, never been betrothed before. I had believed so strongly that it was true. And I was wrong.'

Emotions ran wild through my mind. Just talking about the time I'd had with James was still hard. I thought I had gotten past this. Why wasn't I past this?

Jack lifted his hand, and placed it under my chin; lifting my face up so he could meet my gaze.

'But it was true. Everything you knew at the time pointed to the fact that you were right. You couldn't have been betrothed to someone you didn't know.' He said.

'It wasn't true though!' I argued. 'And I should have worked it out! There were so many clues and hints. The faerie even showed you to me in a dream, and I still didn't work it out! How stupid could I have been? It was so obvious.'

Jack sighed.

'Marion, there is no reason to blame yourself! No one worked out that we had been cursed. You were up against powerful magic. The most powerful magic, if what you said about the council of fae is right.'

'I fought, but not hard enough. I had so many fainting spells every time I came close to thinking of you. But I couldn't be strong enough to resist it.'

'Marion, stop. You were not to blame. None of this was your fault.'

'It is! I could have figured it all out! James told me that I had been engaged, and even after I accepted it, I did nothing! What sort of a person does that make me?'

My breaths were coming in pants now. And I was unable to stop them.

'No, stop. Marion, listen to me.' Jack said, kneeling up so he could grasp my shoulder. 'You have to believe that none of this was your fault! There was nothing else you could have done. Even if you had come to find me, you would have got to Milton, and found no more answers, because no one else knew about the castle. That damned faerie's curse worked too well. There was nothing you could have done!'

I found myself shaking my head.

Jack moved his hand up my neck and tried to stop me.

'Stop! It's not your fault!' He cried!

'I could have done something…anything.' I shouted. 'Why didn't I do anything?'

'Please Marion, don't think like that! You did nothing wrong. I don't blame you for it, and you shouldn't blame yourself! It was out of your control!'

I was shaking my head again, my gaze dropped to the floor.

Jack moved on of his hands from my neck, and grasped my hand once again. Bringing it slowly up to his mouth, he pressed a firm kiss to it.

I froze.

'You didn't know. Please just believe me when I say that it's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done.' Jack muttered against my skin.

I couldn't find the words to argue with him. Not when my every thought was centred on my hand, and how it was being held by him.

He pressed another kiss against my skin, and I almost sighed. He glanced up at that, the corner of his mouth just perking up slightly.

And I found I couldn't stop myself.

Leaning in, I pressed my own lips against his again.

He didn't blame me for not finding him. And I knew I shouldn't blame myself. Even if I did.

But I knew that I was going to let that faerie win if I spent any time arguing with Jack. I'd had very little time with James; I was not going to waste another chance with someone I loved.

Jack kissed me back sweetly, but pulled back after a few seconds.

'You were halfway through your story. That can wait until the end.' He admitted.

And I knew he was right.

So, I continued.

'After we found the invitation, we didn't talk about it again. And life continued. We received a letter from Ella one day, inviting us to a ball to celebrate her birthday, and telling us the news of the faerie's death. A woman called Lady Annette Knighton had also been visited by this Faerie, who had helped her before, and had returned to demand that she give up her new-born son in payment to him.'

'What? He tried to take a new born baby from its mother?' Jack cried.

I nodded.

'Yes, but… I think he knew what he was doing. Even Lady Annette said afterward that he knew he was going to fail, and I think he orchestrated the entire thing. He had told me in that dream that he had made peace with the fact that he knew his time was up. Over those months where I could think things over, I think I decided that he knew, and had planned it. But regardless of that, poor Annette was distraught, and she and her husband planned to find a way to defeat him. They had written to anyone who could help, and Christopher sent them what I had found about the fae in that book. As it turns out, it helped them in their plan, and they finally killed him. Annette pushed the knife into his back herself.'

Then, something hit me.

'He told them about Weston!' I cried, realising it finally.

'What?'

'His last words. I can't remember exactly what she said, but she asked if I knew anyone called Weston. He said something about your curse as he died!' I told him.

'What did he say?' Jack asked.

I shook my head.

'I don't know. I wasn't there. Annette only told me afterwards. I'll have to write to her, or see if I can visit her. She's expecting another child; I might be invited to the christening.'

'Why would you be invited to the christening?'

'I know her husband rather well now. Lord Edward help us with finding the passage.'

'Passage? Why did you have to find a passage?'

I stopped.

'Later.' I told him. 'Sorry, I'm telling this all out of order.'

Jack considered this for a moment.

'So, the Lady Annette…she killed the faerie?'

I nodded.

'Yes, and that was what had released my family from their curse.' I explained.

'And he said something about our curse as he died.'

I nodded again.

'I hope it was something about how much he regretted it. Or how annoyed he was that we would outlive him.' Jack grumbled.

'You can ask her yourself soon.' I told him. That seemed to cheer him up a little.

'Ella told me this, and said that Lady Annette would be at the ball, and wanted to meet me.' I continued, 'And she invited Alexander, Daniel, Clara, and of course James. So the next few weeks became a sort of highborn training camp. James taught us all how to dance properly, and hold our heads high, and how to address different stations correctly.'

'So you really are a proper lady now.' Jack smirked.

'I now see why Bianca hated all those etiquette lessons. They weren't the most fun thing I've ever had to do in my life. Clara seemed to get the hang of them rather quickly though. And a week before the ball, a rider appeared at the manor, with an urgent letter for James. He'd gone to the village with Alexander, and we ran to deliver it to him. As it turned out, his friend Philip; the one who had disappeared for months, was alive and well. And betrothed to the princess.'

Jack sat shocked.

'The princess? But there isn't a princess! The King and Queen never had any living children.'

'You won't have heard. They had a daughter.'

'Then why are they betrothing a baby to a grown man?' Jack shouted.

I laughed.

'No, they had a daughter nineteen years ago. But once again, the fae interfered, and placed a curse on her. She was hidden away from the world until she was eighteen, when the curse would be broken. The royal family announced that she had died to protect her, but she has been alive all this time.'

Jack took a moment to think this through, but then gasped.

'The lost princess! So that story Lucien told me was really true? She actually exists?' He cried.

I nodded.

'Yes, and she's called Rose.'

Jack froze.

And then his face drained of colour.

'Rose? Like…the girl you met…in the forest…hidden away?'

I only shrugged coyly.

'You met the princess!' He shouted.

'Well, I've met her a few times now. She invited me to her wedding, and invaded my room early in the morning.'

Jack's mouth fell open.

'When did she invade your room?'

'When I stayed at the royal palace.' I admitted him, in as calm a tone as I could.

'You stayed at the palace!'

'Why are you surprised? You lived in a castle.' I teased.

'I lived in the servant's quarters. That is not the same as being invited to stay at the royal palace!'

'No, I don't think it is. The beds there are far nicer.' I joked.

'So, If I've got this right, you met the princess in the forest, and James's friend Philip got engaged to her after disappearing for months.'

'Yes, that is right.'

Jack sighed.

'Well, that certainly different to what would have happened if the curse hadn't occurred.' He sighed.

'What's that supposed to mean?' I asked, worried.

Jack's gaze fell to the ground.

'I only meant…that if we had…gone through with it, then you would have been the wife of a penniless servant. No manors, or palaces and royal weddings, or any of that. And I can't give you any of that again.' He admitted.

My heart almost broke for him.

Did he really think I cared about that? That I had wanted this to happen?

Reaching forward, I placed my hand on his cheek, and pulled him up to look at me.

'No, it wouldn't have happened. But…I would have been happy. I would have chosen you. And there would have been no highborn title, or anything else that goes along with that, but I wouldn't have cared. Because I would have had you.' I told him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

Jack didn't pull away, but also didn't look at me when I moved back.

'But…I can't give you that now. I'm not a highborn. I have no title, no money. And I don't even have any work. You would have to give up your new life, if… if we…'

Silently, I wanted to laugh.

He didn't know what had happened recently. And how I now lived in a palace. And had a Duchess for a sister. Rose had given me the title to remain a highborn, and I would be taken care of the rest of my life, no matter what happened with me and Jack.

I wanted to tell him. About my rank, and new home.

But I thought it would be better to wait.

'May I finish?' I asked.

Jack nodded.

'The announcement of the princess's return was told everywhere later that day. And James wrote a very strongly worded letter to his friend, telling him exactly how he was going to punish him for disappearing with no word, and letting them all think that he could be dead. We found out that Philip had been invited to Ella's ball, but didn't attend, because he was too busy. I personally think he didn't want to be surrounded by everyone asking questions so soon after the news broke. So, we turned our attention back onto the ball, and when the day arrived, we all set off.'

This was the hardest part to tell.

And I wasn't sure I could do it.

Not to Jack.

Even after all this time, simply thinking about the last true night we had together still made a lump rise in my throat.

It was just too unfair. The fever could have infected anyone, but it had to be him.

But Jack deserved the truth.

I'd told him everything else, I could tell him this. Even if this was the hardest part.

So, after a deep breath, I began.

I told him about how we had arrived, and been told by Ella and Christopher that their son had a stomach bug, and that Duke William was ill as well. I spoke of how I had met Lady Annette and Lord Edward, and how they asked me about how I knew Bea. They had found that piece of paper in the faerie's room.

And then, of course, I spoke about Lady Imogen, and her group of ladies who had entered with her. Bringing a particular red headed girl with them.

I told Jack exactly how Alexander had been utterly captured by Scarlett, and spent the entire ball with her. And how their names appeared together on the faerie's note.

But then came the part about when I spoke to Lady Imogen, and felt so jealous when James had stood at her side, trying to distract her, even if I didn't know it at the time.

'She sounds like a bitch.' Jack muttered.

I nodded.

'She really is.' I agreed.

'But James spent a lot of the night at her side? What was he thinking? Was he blind, or just stupid?' Jack asked.

My heart wanted to explode from just hearing that. To know someone cared enough to get angry at James, just like I had, for me.

'Nice of you to think that.' I said.

'It's the truth! No wonder you got upset. I hope you gave him a good telling off!'

'After I found him. I returned to the ball room, and discovered that both he and Lady Imogen had left. And I thought that they had gone together. I managed to run into a rather tipsy Antony, when I got mad, and he went to find him. I don't think he did, but I appreciated the effort. I went to interrupt Alexander and Scarlett, who had been staring at each other all night. And I told her that her sister was alive.'

'Her sister?'

'Yes, Scarlett is Bianca's younger sister.' I told him.

Jack scoffed and then laughed.

'Does your brother have a death wish?' He asked amazed.

'I'm honestly not sure at this point.'

'Poor Alexander.'

'I think he's held up quite well.'

'Yes, but I received the bad side of Blanche when it was only you I was courting. I can only imagine what she's been like with someone who courts her sister.' Jack explained.

'He's had…a hard time of it certainly.' I told him. 'But that night, they met without Bea's interference. And they never left each other's side. Which was more than I could say for James. He finally returned at the end of the ball, which Christopher called to a close early. He and Ella had been running back and forth to the nursery and the Duke's chambers all night, and thought it best to send everyone home. I was so mad at James for abandoning me the entire ball, that I avoided him all the way back to the manor. I even pretended to be asleep just so I wouldn't have to get upset in front of my sibling. Thankfully, Alexander had plenty to say about Scarlett, and that filled the silence.'

Then, I had to take a deep breath.

'But when we got back, there was no avoiding it. I confronted him about how lonely and worthless he had made me feel, and how I thought he was going to put me aside so he could marry Imogen.'

'He what?!' Jack yelled. 'He was going to leave you to marry this bitch! How dare he!'

'No, he wasn't. I just thought that. I think it was a combination of the wine, the women at the ball, who were trying to make me seem inferior, and my own doubt. Even after the countless times he had told me he loved me, some part of me still thought it was too good to be true. That everything I had would turn out to be just a lovely dream. Whatever we felt for each other, there would always be a small part of me that still knew that I was simply a lowborn girl, who had the good fortune to fall in love with a highborn. And that luck might run out, and go to someone more deserving. But whatever the reason, I had created this future in my head, and I couldn't talk myself out of it.'

Jack didn't seem to be convinced by that. The rather…hostile expression remained on his face.

'So, I shouted at him. Blamed him for making me so unhappy all night, and told him that he could leave to marry Imogen, and they deserved each other. We fought, and I told him that regardless of what had happened with Imogen, it was his fault I had been so miserable all night. He was so shocked that I ran past him and up to my room, but he followed me before I could lock the door.'

The memory of that moment almost played out before my eyes.

It was one of the last ones I had of him, before the illness. Before the man I knew had wasted away until there was only pain and suffering left.

And I had spent part of that night fighting with him. The last true night we had together, and I had upset him, because I had been hurt.

All that time I had been mad and upset; I could have used my last day with him for so much more. If only I had known, we had just hours left. That it was all going to end in a day…

How much I would have done differently? How many regrets could I have avoided?

How much pain might I had spared the both of us.

'He…he apologised. He told me that he had he had only spent the ball with Imogen so she wouldn't attack me. She would have made my time there miserable, and he had thought that the only way to stop her would be to keep her distracted. And then he told me again and again that he loved me, and not her. That she was nothing to him, and that he only cared about me…and I believed him.'

It was getting harder and harder to speak now.

Despite the happiness that I had felt once I had forgiven him, I now knew how this story would end. In only a few more hours.

Time had not made it seem less unfair. Or dulled the pain completely.

No, it still hurt. Even all these months later, it still hurt that he wasn't here by my side. Despite what I now knew about Jack, it still ached that James wasn't here.

'We ended our fight. Because I really did love him. And I should have known; it was so obvious, I should have figured it out. He was exhausted the next morning. He hardly opened his eyes. And…and I…I left him. I left him alone to go shopping with Clara!'

Words almost failed me.

But I had failed him.

If only I had sent for Mr Carr earlier. Maybe…it all could have been different.

But that was all I had left, what ifs.

What if the physician had arrived earlier? What if someone had gone to check on him? What if I hadn't gone out that day?

What if he had survived?

The uncomfortable lump in my throat had turned painful. And tears fought against me.

'We went to get food, and to purchase new dresses. And I remember feeling so proud that everyone treated me well. I was their lady, and they all acted like it. After so long of being a servant, it…felt amazing, that someone would act like that, for me.' I admitted. 'But then, we arrived back at the manor…'

Taking a deep breath, I tried my hardest to calm my frantic heart. Although I could swear that Jack would be able to hear it regardless.

'I thought he would have gotten out of bed at some point during the day. If I had just been aware enough to send someone to check on him…if I'd done something.'

The tears were now accumulating with some pace. And I was completely unable to stop them.

'I went up to our room…and there he was. Pale as death, covered in blood and vomit, and moaning in pain. And I had left him there!'

The first tears broke free, and began to roll down my cheeks.

Blinking, I could almost see him in front of me. Lying on the bed, with his sweat stain nightshirt clinging to him, his eyes bloodshot and exhausted.

With no hope of recovery.

'He caught the fever from Duke William at the ball. And I'd been too stupid to notice it. It had killed Sir Henry, and then my mother, and I still didn't see it coming! He'd spent all day in pain, while I had been out enjoying myself. How pathetic is that!'

I thought the guilt would have gone. After all this time, I had told myself so often that it hadn't been my fault, and yet here I still was, insisting that I was to blame.

Maybe it would never truly leave me. That I would feel this way for the rest of my life.

'Then, I panicked. I ran to him, and screamed for help. One of my brothers ran for help, and Clara kept the little ones away. I stayed, not caring if I caught it too. He…he just looked…helpless. All he could do was moan, he barely had the energy to move when he needed to…throw up. And I was useless. I just sat there with him. There was no way I could help, nothing I could do to bring him back. A cold cloth was the best I could do. I…I failed him.'

The tears were now freely flowing down my face. They were too heavy, making Jack's face a blur.

'The physician arrived. And told me to sleep after hours of sitting with him. But as the night went on…it was obvious that… that he…that there was…no hope.'

James; I could see him lying before me, his chest barely moving, and the light gone from his usually vivacious eyes. After all the energy and life he'd had, this was the last memory I had of him.

He was as real to me now as he had been that day. I might as well have been in the room.

'All he could do was dull the pain, and make him sleep until he…he…'

I just couldn't finish the sentence.

I couldn't continue.

It was just too painful. To have to relive it again.

Sobbing, I brought my hands up to cover my face.

I'd sat there, and watched as the life slowly drained out of the man I had loved with all my heart.

'He died in my arms Jack.' I cried. 'We said our goodbyes, and he died in my arms. Twenty-four, he had only been twenty-four years old.'

More sobs wracked my chest, and my tears ran down through my fingers and onto my dress.

Suddenly, warm arms enveloped me. I pulled my hands away to see Jack holding me tight against him, letting me sob onto his chest.

Unable to control myself, I let those tears fall.

Even though I loved Jack, and I had done before knowing James properly…it still hurt. It hurt that I was never going to see James again. Never going to hear his laugh, or see his smile, or feel his kisses again.

I missed them. Over a year, and I really missed everything about him. And despite the fact I had Jack back in my life, that didn't take away the pain of missing James.

Because no one would ever replace him. No one would be that role in my life, not in the way he had been. Each person in my life meant something different to me, and even if I loved both James and Jack, that didn't mean they had the same relationship with me.

And I think I mourned the loss of that side of me as well. My innocence, and youthful naivety. I was not the same person I had been all those months ago. And I would never be again.

So, I cried, and cried and cried.

Jack held me, the entire time.

His thumb rubbed soothing rings on my shoulder, and he pressed his lips against my hair.

Because, despite all of this…he still cared.

Somehow, my almost unbelievable story hadn't persuaded him that he didn't want to be around me anymore.

Jack was still here. Even after everything I had told him.

Minutes passed, and I finally managed to calm myself enough to wipe away my tears.

'I'm sorry.' I told Jack. 'I thought I was past this.'

Jack shook his head.

'Why are you apologising? You haven't done anything wrong.' He said.

'I should be able to tell this story without…tears.' I explained.

Jack rubbed up and down my arm comfortingly.

'It's a sad story. And I know that if…I lost you…then…it would have taken me much longer than a year to stop grieving. I don't think I ever would.'

'I don't think I ever will.' I told him honestly, 'Not completely.'

Jack nodded.

'But…can you live with that?' I asked him, lifting my head.

'What?'

Suddenly realising my mistake, I paled.

'I…uh…I only meant…'

The proper words failed me.

'What did you mean?' Jack asked again.

My heart was thundering in my chest.

Was I presuming too much? Had I gotten the wrong idea?

Even after his confession earlier, I still felt that it was too much to ask if we could just go back to the way it had been before.

We were both very different people. And here I was, presuming that we would both want the same thing. I barely knew him, and he barely knew me. We might have dreamed of our married life together, but that had been almost two years ago.

Why was I asking if he could live with my past? That implied that I wanted to go back to how things were.

The realisation dawned on me.

I did want to go back.

I truly did want to simply return to the place we had been before.

I wanted us to be betrothed, and in love, and as happy as we had been before.

After a year of loneliness, I wanted someone by my side again. Was that such a terrible thing to want?

And I wanted it to be Jack.

But that would almost be asking the impossible. I had told him about my life with another man; how could he possibly want to go back after he had heard that. I didn't think I would want to, if our positions had been reversed…

'What did you mean?' Jack asked in a slower tone.

He was staring at me now.

Neither of us had directly said it out loud. We'd both danced around the subject as much as we could without addressing it fully.

And one of us had to be brave enough to ask.

One of us had to address it.

From experience, it was going to have to be me. Jack was very sweet, but extremely awkward when it came to matters of our relationship and discussing them. He had told me that his proposal had to be planned out for several weeks before he worked up the courage to ask.

One of us had to be direct.

So, I was.

'I meant…would you be able to live with it…if we chose to...pick up where we left off? I would completely understand if you wouldn't want to, for a number of reasons. And I don't expect an answer right now, but would it be an issue for you, knowing that I will miss James for the rest of my life.' I told him.

Jack continued to stare at me. Unmoving.

I almost thought he hadn't heard, and that I had said it in my head. But then, he slowly began to move again.

'It's…It's not ideal. Clearly. But not because of anything you've done; you shouldn't have to grieve for him. He was a man in his prime, and while I am rather jealous of him, I wouldn't have wished his fate on him. Ever. Or wished that you would have suffered in the way you have.'

He took a deep breath.

'But, this is the situation. There's no point wishing for another one; this is what we have to cope with. I just…I just want you to be happy, Marion. I'm not going to control what you feel, or want. If you miss him, then I can't stop that. But…I would like to try and make you happy. If that's still possible?'

I lifted my hand to cup his cheek.

He wanted me to be happy.

After everything that I had told him, he still wanted me to be happy.

I could hardly think. I didn't know what to say.

Jack lifted his spare hand, and placed it over my hand, pressing down slightly.

'What happened after?' He asked.

'After?'

'After he died. You said it's been over a year.'

I sighed, and removed my hand.

'After…I spent the rest of the day in bed. I couldn't sleep, couldn't think, couldn't do anything. Alexander organised everything. He took care of the little ones, and made arrangements for everything. And then he tried to help me…he called for Bianca. She came and watched over me while all I could do was sob. But then she found out about Scarlett and Alexander, and she was not best pleased.'

Jack smirked.

'I can imagine.'

'Honestly, the next few days were a blur. I didn't even know if I was awake or asleep. That was until someone came knocking at the door. Bianca hid, and we all thought someone knew she was here. But when Alexander opened the door, it wasn't soldiers, or hunters; it was a bailiff. He informed us that due to James's death, the manor and ownership of his lands had been given to his heir, Sir Reid. Who just so happened to be married to Lady Imogen's friend, Lady Caroline.'

Jack's eyes went wide.

'Oh.'

'They wanted us out; as soon as possible. We had three days.' I told him. 'They didn't care that I could barely get out of bed, or that I was experiencing the worst pain of my life. They wanted to hurt me, because James and I had apparently hurt Imogen.'

'But she was delusional! She liked James, and it wasn't returned. You shouldn't have had to suffer for that!' Jack cried.

I could only shrug.

'That's what happened. They could have evicted us that day legally. I fought and screamed, but we had to go. I wrote to Ella, begging for help, and my siblings and Bea packed up everything. We waited until the last moment, but then we had to go. We left in the morning, and I haven't seen the manor since. I don't remember much of the journey back, it's all a bit of a blur. The next thing I knew we were back in Rault, and back to our tiny, cramped, old, lowborn cottage. I hated the sight of it.'

Jack grasped my hand.

'I like your house!'

'I do too. But after living as the lady of the manor for three and a half months…it was an adjustment that took a while to get used to. And I was so upset anyway, that it was just another thing to tip me over the edge.'

I glanced at the floor.

'Alexander was incredible; he organised everything for me, and took care of everyone, and all while Bianca was watching him. How he did it, I will never know. He had planned the funeral for the following week. However, the night before, a carriage arrived. And Christopher stumbled through our door. He was…a wreck. Possibly even worse than me. He had been James's best friend, and he was distraught after losing him. But then, Ella arrived.'

Jack looked at me curiously. I saw it out of the corner of my eye, but kept my gaze on the ground.

'I'm not proud of it.' I sighed. 'And I regret it. But...I couldn't help myself. I was so upset and hurt, and I think I needed someone to blame. And I blamed her. My oldest friend, who was also hurting, and I blamed her for it.'

'You blamed Ella for James's death? But he died of the fever! How could she have killed him?'

'Duke William had the fever. He died as well, just hours before James.' I told him. 'And James had contracted it from him while he was at the ball. He and Christopher had gone to look in on him, as well as Baby Jonathan. Ella and Christopher had been running back and forth all night. And somehow in my head, I had decided that Ella could have called off the ball, if she knew they were both sick. She shouldn't have had guests that could have caught it and died, like they did. James might have still been alive if she had just thought for a moment, and cancelled it.'

Jack thought for a moment.

'I do see your point, but it's a bit of a stretch. I don't think anyone could have known that people would have died from it, not unless it was obvious that it was the fever.'

I nodded.

'Now, I understand. But at the time, I was so mad, and I had no one to blame, so I directed it all at her. If she had just cancelled it, I could have been spared all this pain. I'm sure you felt the same way about Lord Weston just after the curse.'

Jack sat stunned, but then nodded.

'That is true.' He admitted.

'And I know it was unfair, and that she was grieving too, but I just couldn't help it. I screamed, and shouted, and cursed her for doing this to me. And for the times that she failed me. I had rescued her when she was in trouble, but when I had been in worse situations, she hadn't lifted a finger to help. I was angry, and unjust, but I said it. At one point, Christopher almost agreed with me.'

I took a deep breath.

'I haven't spoken a word to her since. She wrote me a letter just after her daughter was born, and I threw it in the fire before I could read it. Even now, after all this time, I still haven't reached out to her.'

Jack just patiently waited for me to continue.

'The funeral came and went. The entirety of Arton turned out. I knew he had been well liked, but I didn't think that everyone would come. Ella was there, but kept her distance at the back. It was over rather quickly, and then we were back to Rault, like it had all never happened. I tried to move past it; to forget like everyone else in the village had, but I couldn't. I just couldn't seem to fit back in. Luckily, Bea needed somewhere to stay as more guards started patrolling the forest, so she was with me. I honestly couldn't have done it without her. With our first money bag, we built a cellar for her to hide in. She turned it into her room.'

'Money bag?' Jack asked.

'As a widow,' I explained, 'I'm entitled to monthly instalments from James's estate as a pension. None of us knew that, so it was quite a shock when the bailiff turned up with it. And the best part is that Lady Caroline can do nothing about it. It's not a lot, but it's enough to live on comfortably.'

'I'm sure the new lord and lady are thrilled about that.' Jack said sarcastically. 'Thank goodness for legal loopholes. You deserve it.'

'I don't know about deserving, but it's nice to have, and it's even better to know that Caroline and Imogen hate it. And it certainly helped when we had an extra two mouths to feed.'

'Two?' Jack asked, surprised. 'I thought it was just Blanche?'

'It was, for eight months. But then our family grew when a certain someone ran away to join their sister.'

'I'm presuming you mean Blanche's sister; the one that Alexander liked.'

'And still likes. They're married now, with a baby on the way.' I told him, smiling.

Jack's mouth widened to a grin.

'Congratulations!' He beamed.

'It's not me you should be congratulating.'

'No, but you're going to have a niece or nephew.'

'Niece.' I clarified. 'But don't tell Alexander, he doesn't know.'

'How on earth could you know that?'

'It's a long story.'

'I'm listening.'

Sighing, I shifted my position to stop the pain that was building in my back.

I began by telling him about Bianca and Scarlett's heritage. How they were actually the daughters of a Duke and that their Stepmother had killed their father and seized power. I described the day that we had heard the news that Nerissa had executed three men for nothing. And how Bianca had sworn to finally go after her. I told him how Scarlett and I travelled to the Royal palace, and was recognised by the princess. We pleaded our case to her and her husband and we managed to get a pardon for Bea. And then an army.

'You managed to get the Princess to give you an army?'

'Prince Philip commanded it. I simply was there; no rank or power.'

'So you went? Why didn't you stay where it was safe?'

'Because I would have gone mad waiting for news; not being able to do anything to help.'

'But you could have been hurt, or worse!'

'I was fine! I was never near any fighting or danger. I spent most of my time with Mr Johnson the Physician. I learned to bandage injuries, and make herbal tea to dull pain. Three weeks we were there, and I was never in any sort of danger.'

Jack looked like he was going to argue, but I continued before he could stop me.

'Philip asked Antony to join us…and Christopher. I hadn't spoken to him since the funeral, and it was quite a shock when we arrived and he was there.'

I spoke about what he had told me, about Ella, and his children, and how much he missed James. And I told Jack about how badly I reacted; screaming and shouting at him, even though he was right.

And then came the part where Scarlett had disappeared, kidnapped by Nerissa in the middle of the night.

'I had only just worked out she was expecting. I'd accidentally overheard a conversation with Mr Johnson a few hours before. But I didn't tell Alexander; he was already upset enough that he didn't need a baby to worry about as well. They searched all night, and found nothing. Eventually, they had to drag Alexander and Bianca back, and I made them sleep for a few hours. Neither of them were very happy with me after that. When Bea woke up she screamed at me for making her sleep, blamed me for the fact that Scar was still missing.'

I told him how I had shouted back at her; I thought she was being unreasonable, and I'd hardly had any sleep. I'd been so angry with her, and she had been angry with me. She'd gone out to look with Alexander again and I had tried to distract myself with medical duties. Then I told him how we had heard the birds singing a message, and I told them all that it was either Scarlett or Bianca trying to get a message to each other. I told him how we all waited, for hours, until we saw a crowd gathering; and Scarlett appeared. She had been unharmed, but was in a bad state.

'She wouldn't stop crying. No matter what anyone said. But then she told us that Bianca was dead. Nerissa had used her as bait to lure her sister to her death. And that broke me. I just couldn't take the fact that I had lost yet another person. I can remember screaming and sobbing, and I think I threw up. I was utterly heartbroken.'

'Blanche is dead?' Jack asked shocked.

It was very hard not to smile, and give it away.

Without saying anything to confirm or deny it, I continued.

'We went to find her. And there she was, lying lifeless on the forest floor. We said our goodbyes, and held her hand for one last time. Scarlett leaned forward and kissed her sister's head.'

I couldn't help the smile that broke on my face.

'And just like that, the spell was broken.' I told him.

Jack's brown furrowed in confusion.

'Spell? What spell?'

'The spell that had killed her. Nerissa had used Fae poison to kill her, which ceased to work when Bianca was given true loves kiss. The love of her sister. I don't think I've been so relieved in my life as the moment I saw her breathe again. After those hours of torment…she was alright.'

'So…she wasn't dead?' He asked.

'No, she was. Or at least I think she was. She wasn't breathing, and she'd gone cold. We're all convinced she came back from death. And all the soldiers seemed to think so too; they treated her like an angel. Like it was a sign that we were going to win.'

'And did you?'

Glancing up to him, I nodded.

'Lord Edward had arrived while we were looking for Scarlett, and had found a secret way into the palace. They had found it when they had been looking for the faerie the year before. The next morning, the men invaded just before sunrise, and took control. Not a single drop of blood spilled. Nerissa was arrested, and Bianca has taken her place as the rightful Duchess. And in gratitude for letting her stay with us for so long…we've all moved in with her. She has more than enough space after all.'

Jack's jaw dropped.

'You mean…you now live in a palace?'

'Yes. I have a rather nice room in the east wing.'

He appeared to be stunned into silence.

'There are certain perks with having a Duchess as a sister in law. Richard, Tom and Robbie are now at boarding school. They've been there for about a month, and they love it. Richard apparently never leaves the library. And Tom and Robbie have found a group of boys that they get into mischief with. We've already had a letter from their tutors to tell us about the time they snuck out of their rooms to go and play cards with their friends in the middle of the night.'

'So they're being normal young boys then.' Jack said with a smile.

I huffed a laugh.

'Yes, they are. They've been there, and the rest of us have been at the palace for the past five weeks. And then last night, we all remembered, and I think you know the rest up to there.'

Sitting back, I fell into silence; which was much needed after talking for so long.

Jack too, sat in silence.

It felt strange to tell my story to someone else. Not a bad kind of strange, but it was something I was not used to. It had been stored up inside me for so long, that to finally share it with someone…it felt good.

And to tell Jack…

To tell someone I loved, who hadn't lived through it. I hardly discussed it with my brothers or sisters or Bea or Scar, because we had all been through it. There was no need to talk about the pain; to repeat it. The good times, we talked about a lot. But the rest of it…we had no desire to repeat it.

But finally talking about the pain and heartbreak, it was a good release of something that been building up for far too long.

'That is…quite an adventure.' Jack finally muttered.

I could only nod.

As it passed, day by day, it hadn't seemed like it. But looking back, at all the extraordinary things that had occurred, it had most definitely been an adventure.

Faerie curses, secret marriages, heart-breaking deaths, visits to the royal court, war camps, ennoblement, fighting for justice, running from a corrupt Duchess, and then defeating her.

If that didn't count as an adventure, I wasn't sure what would.

But one thing was for certain.

I'd had enough adventure. At least for the time being.

While the highs were glorious, the lows were certainly something I could live without for a while. And I had enough issues to deal with of a more mundane nature.

Being a better sister, and not pushing my family to the bottom of the pile was certainly one. For too long, they had not been my first concern, and maybe they should have been. So, I was going to do better.

Even with Jack back in my life, I wasn't going to break my promise to my sister again.

I knew it was a small goal to accomplish. Especially after defeating a rather powerful Duchess. But it was one I was willing to work towards. My family had suffered enough.

But it was no longer just about my family anymore.

Because the man who had been about to be my family had suddenly fallen into my life now.

And at this exact moment, this needed to be sorted out.

Because I needed to know.

I needed to know where we stood. My heart couldn't take more heartbreak, more pain.

'So…' I began.

Taking a deep breath, I asked.

'So, where do we stand, Jack? What happens now?'

He froze.

So did I.

As I waited to hear the answer, to possibly one of the most important questions of my life.

What did happen now? After all of this, what did we do?

What happens now?


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One.**

'What happens now?'

That was what I had asked Jack.

That was what I needed to know.

Jack appeared to be frozen still. Barely even breathing.

I knew it was an awkward subject to address. But it needed to be addressed. I needed to know.

But he seemed to be as much at a loss as I was.

How to even begin to move forward after so long apart? We were both completely different people than the two young dreamers who had been anxious to get married. We'd both known pain and heartbreak.

Was it unfair to ask Jack to take me back. I was a widow; I had been someone else's wife.

Could I ask him to be there for me, even when I still woke screaming some nights; having just seen him die before me. Could I ask him to look past the days I would have to go to his grave? Could I ask him to live with the ghost of James always hanging between us?

And what about him? What things had altered him? Did he have nightmares about his curse; the confinement, the masks, the unjust punishment. He had spent years waiting for someone who didn't remember him.

We'd both had lives since our planned wedding day. What if we no longer fit together the way we had done once? What if it was simply impossible for us to move forward?

I knew I still loved him. All my feelings had been awakened suddenly, and were as strong as they had been the moment the curse hit. But Jack had known the entire time.

He had told me before he still loved me, but what if he had been in love with the idea of me; the me from before? Now that he knew everything, would he come to realise that the girl he had loved, and the woman I was now, were just not the same person? I didn't think I was, not after all this time.

Where did we go from here?

Jack finally seemed to unfreeze himself, and he shifted a little so he was sitting more comfortably.

'I…I honestly don't know.' He told me.

Well, at least it was an answer. I couldn't fault him for that. If he had asked me that, I think that would have also been my answer.

But then, he reached forward to grasp my hand in his.

'Marion, I've spent so long wishing I could be out. This entire day still seems like a dream to me. There's no castle walls around me, and I can freely move without something stuck to my face. But, in truth, the reason I've been looking forward to this day; dreaming about it, fantasizing about it, whatever you want to call it…is because I wanted to see you again.'

There was something about the way he said it that made my chest tighten to the point of almost pain.

'I was counting down the minutes until our wedding. Ask anyone in the castle. Those weeks leading up to the ball, I was only waiting for our wedding. Until I could marry you. And that was what I was so angry about. It wasn't the confinement, or the mask, or anything else. It was the fact it stopped me from seeing you. What hurt the most was that I knew that you didn't remember me. I knew you would have made a life for yourself without me; how could you not? All I wanted to do was get out, so I could see you again. And it finally happened.'

He squeezed my hand so tightly it nearly hurt.

'I got out! I can see you! I've been waiting so long, that I only know that I don't want to waste a single second of it.' He admitted.

'There's no rush. It's not like the faerie's going to appear again.' I told him. I really didn't want him to rush into anything he wasn't prepared for. Something he might later regret.

'He might not, but I still think that this might be a dream. And that in a moment, I'm going to open my eyes and I'll be back in that damn castle with that horrid thing plastered to my face again.'

'It's not a dream.' I said, beaming. 'I don't think my imagination could have made something like this up.'

Jack sighed.

'Marion…I…'

His fingers curled around my hand, and he lifted it so it rested on his knee.

'Why did you bring your ring?' He asked finally, holding my gaze.

His thumb traced over the empty space on my fourth finger where it used to sit. All those months ago.

'I brought it…to return it.' I told him honestly.

His face dropped.

Then, I realised how that had sounded.

Of course he would be upset to hear that! How stupid could I be?

'No! Not like that!' I cried quickly. 'I just meant, I thought you wouldn't forgive me for all I had done. I had completely expected you to turn away from me for all the pain I caused you. And I thought you'd want it back…to maybe give to someone more deserving one day.'

Jack shook his head, but kept my gaze.

'Why would I give it to someone else? Not that I would, but why do you think I would give another girl your betrothal ring? Surely if you thought I hated you, why would I have wanted the reminder of us?' He asked confused.

'I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind. As you saw earlier.' I explained. 'I didn't get that far in thinking it through.'

Jack nodded.

'Either way, the ring's yours. As it always has been.' He told me.

'Mine… as a betrothal ring, or as a nice piece of jewellery?' I asked cautiously.

I left the question open.

All he had to do was tell me, or at least give me some sign. What did he want?

What did I want?

That was a much easier question to answer.

The feelings I had for Jack had not changed since the moment the curse hit. Probably because I hadn't remembered them long enough to change. I felt everything as strongly as I did the week before our wedding day. There was more guilt there now, and more strife, but it didn't change anything for me.

I loved Jack.

This handsome, sweet, kind, slightly awkward and caring young man. The boy who had taught me to dance, and spent his afternoons off with me. The boy I knew would have done anything for me. He even stood up to Bea, which was a terrifying feat in itself.

And I knew with every fibre of my being that he would have spent the rest of his life making me the happiest girl in the world.

In those weeks leading up to my wedding, I had never once doubted that I was making the wrong choice, or that I would come to regret it later.

I had known. And I now knew once again.

He was no knight in shining armour, like Clara wished for. He had no false pride, or secrets. In fact, there was nothing false about him at all. Jack was simply Jack, nothing more complicated than that.

A footman who had once fallen in love with a seamstress, and promised her a happy simple life. That was all we had been. Before all the magic and curses and complications.

And that had been enough.

It was still enough for me.

But I had the easier task in this. I didn't have to forgive him for what he had done, or live with the fact he would be grieving for someone else he loved.

It was all down to him. What he could live with, what he wanted.

'It can be whatever you want it to be.' He replied, eventually.

He was being as vague as I was being.

Which was not helping the situation. If we both kept dancing around the subject, we'd never get anywhere.

You would have thought that two people who had been about to get married would have been better at communicating with each other. Twenty-one months of separation truly changes people.

But he hadn't outright rejected me.

That I could use it as a betrothal ring once again, maybe it was possible.

Too much doubt.

And I'd had enough.

For far too long, I'd been kept in the dark and didn't know anything of this. And now, I wanted answers. One way or another.

I took a deep breath, and said, 'Can we both just be honest about this? I'm tired of the mystery and uncertainty. Where do we stand?'

Jack…wasn't surprised. I'd expected him to be, but he wasn't.

Most likely, because he wanted answers too. He'd been asking for them longer than I had.

'I know where I stand Marion.' He admitted. 'I've known since the moment I asked you to marry me two years ago.'

At that, my mind descended into chaos.

He still felt the same. Even after all the pain I'd caused him. He could be no clearer.

'Jack…I'm not the same girl I was two years ago. And I don't ever think I will be again.' I told him.

He only shrugged.

'I never expected you to be. I'm not the same person either. But, I was also a different person when I first met you. Even if things had gone the way I wanted them too, we would still be different people now than we were then! It doesn't matter to me.'

I never expected Jack to be so…eloquent. He always used to struggle to get across what he was trying to say. I used to tease him that he had to practice speeches in his head before he said them, to make sure they made sense.

He had changed a lot.

Or maybe twenty-one months of isolation was enough time to practice.

Either way, I couldn't help the rush of joy that filled me at his words.

'As I said,' He continued, 'I know where I stand. But where do you?'

He was giving the power to me.

It was my choice. It was up to me to decide what happened.

There wasn't anything pressing on me. No curse, or danger, or family to provide for. I could actually make the choice I wanted to make. I didn't have to do it for anyone but me.

It felt…odd. After the past few years when everything was much more complicated, this only made the decision harder.

I thought it would be more simple. If there wasn't some dire consequence that made me make a choice, then surely it would be better.

But as it turned out, not having only one real option made things much harder. It was down to me; if something went wrong, I had to live with what I chose. When I was doing it for my family, the alternative was their starvation and homelessness. Whatever might have happened after that I would have been able to live with, because I knew I was saving them.

But this…there was only me to worry about.

So everything was infinitely more complicated.

Could I do this?

Was it even possible?

Was I ready to go through all this again? What if something happened to Jack, just like with James? Or what if something happened to me, and Jack was left to go through everything I had been through? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

And were we even compatible anymore? Twenty-one months is a long time to spend apart. What if we didn't just fit the way we used to? I knew he said it didn't matter, but it did. I had a way I saw Jack, and he had a way he saw me. What if we couldn't live with the fact that neither of us were who the other one thought?

How would it even work now? I lived in the palace with Bea and my siblings. Milton wasn't my home anymore. And as snobbish as it sounded, I didn't particularly want to go back to a life where I had to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I liked the palace, and I had liked the manor. They say that money can't buy you happiness, but it certainly helped for when it came to comfort.

Could I abandon my family now? Leave them to live a life with someone else. I'd only just started to make an effort with Gwen and the others who were at the palace. Did I just give up on my relationship with them?

I wanted to be there for Scar, and her new baby. I wanted to see Alexander be a father. I wanted to hear Clara romanticising every encounter she'd ever had with a man at a ball, and particularly about Robert. And I wanted to see Daniel tease her mercilessly for it.

I wanted to be there for Bea. After everything she had been through, she was only now starting to become the Duchess we all knew she could be. She was working harder than I'd ever seen anyone work to try and keep on top of everything. Did I just leave her to finish it all by herself?

But, despite all of this, there was still one outstanding thought in my head.

And that was Jack.

Jack, the boy I had loved. The boy I still loved. My betrothed.

Had he not also suffered? Those months, locked away and cursed.

Didn't he deserve some reward for enduring all of that?

Did I?

There must have been some good heading towards us both after so much pain. Surely. I had to believe there was.

I don't think I could live in a world where no good came from all the bad we were all put through. I had to believe that things would get better.

Was this how they got better?

He had waited for me. All that time locked away, and he had waited for me. And the first thing he did on being free was to try and find me. If that wasn't devotion, I didn't know what was.

Who else would do that for me?

He loved me. Of that much I was certain.

And then, there was what Nerissa had said. On the day we confronted her, she had tried her best to hurt us, and insult us all. Even though she had never met me before, she still had used her mirror to try and find ways to hurt me. I'm still not entirely sure how she knew about me, but that was something I didn't think I'd ever know.

She had told me that I had two true loves.

She had used it as a way to insult me, but she failed. All she did was confirm what I think I already knew.

That Jack and I were meant to be together. And no matter the curses and trials that had been thrown at us, we were still here.

So, wasn't it time to finally put aside all those doubts and questions? To finally trust that actually, we would find a way to make everything work. We had each other, and that was really all we needed. Everything else could be sorted later.

With a slightly shaking hand, I reached up, and found the clasp of my necklace. Unhooking it, I knew Jack was staring at me as I pulled it off my neck, and held it in my hand before me.

There they both where.

Jack's ring, and James' emerald. Laying in the palm of my hand.

My fingers closed around the emerald, and let the ring fall off the chain and into my other hand. I tucked the emerald in to the pocket of my dress. Jack's eyes remained fixed to the ring.

It was warm in my palm, and my neck felt strangely cold.

And there it sat.

'Marion?' Jack asked.

In that moment, I knew what I had to do. What I had to say.

Because I was certain. I had made my choice.

Damn the consequences. I could deal with all of them when the time came.

I had to do this.

Shifting off the ground, I curled my legs under me so I was kneeling. Jack's brow furrowed in confusion.

With a shaking breath, I moved my palm before me.

'Jack, I honestly don't know what made me keep this all this time. Fate, coincidence, just luck. But whatever it was, I'm glad of it.' I told him.

His gaze flitted between the ring in my hand, and my face.

'I'm glad,' I continued, 'Because I want to wear it again. I want to wear…my betrothal ring again.'

Jack's lips curled upwards.

'I can't say I've missed you, because I haven't remembered long enough to. But I know that I still love you.' I told him. 'For me, I still feel everything I felt a week before our wedding. All my memories came flooding back, and everything I felt on that day I can feel again. And I was ready to marry you with absolutely no hesitation or doubts.'

I took a deep breath.

'And I think I'm ready again.' I told him honestly.

Jack released a broken sigh as a wide beam broke out across his face.

'I know what I did was unforgivable, and that I'm asking the impossible of you. But I don't think I can go through another day without you by my side.' I said.

Reaching forward, I moved the ring from my palm so I was holding it in my fingers.

'Jack Hale, I truly do love you. And I don't want to wait for another curse, or anything else to tear us apart again. I want things to be the way they were before.'

There were tears in my eyes now, blurring the edge of my vision.

'Jack, will you marry me?' I asked.

If that wasn't clear, I didn't know what else I could do.

Jack, didn't miss a second. The moment the words left my lips, he knelt up and pulled me towards him, his fingers tangling in the hair at the top of my neck. The smile he wore hadn't left by the time he kissed me, just as he had used to, all that time ago.

My heart soared. I kissed him back, just as fiercely as he kissed me. My arms were holding him so tightly; I didn't think there was an inch of space between us.

All I could think was how much I really had missed this. It felt so right, just as it had before. Back when I had been just a girl, in love with a boy, and we had been happy.

I couldn't tell how long passed before Jack finally pulled back, his eyes still full of joy.

'Should I take that as a yes?' I asked breathlessly.

Jack chuckled.

'Yes, of course. How could you ever think otherwise?' He beamed.

I glanced down to the ring that still lay in my palm.

'Do I have to put this on myself, or…' I asked, gesturing to it.

Jack laughed again, and then took it carefully from my hand. He grasped my hand in his other, and brought it to his lips. I sighed as he pressed a kiss to it, before he lowered it slightly, and uncurled my fingers so he could push the ring back into its former, and rightful place.

'There.' He muttered. 'My future wife.'

My chest almost hurt with joy as he said that.

Then, Jack appeared to laugh to himself.

'What is it?' I asked.

'I just thought that traditionally, it's the man who's supposed to propose.' He observed.

I shrugged.

'I've had two proposals already. I thought it was time I had a go.' I told him.

'Fair enough.' He replied. 'And how was it?'

'All the better for knowing the answer.'

'You were lucky. Do you have any idea how nervous I was when I asked you the first time? It was torture.'

'I have some idea. Lucien told me how you used to pace, practising the words. And you usually don't pace.'

Jack shook his head in embarrassment.

'He wasn't supposed to mention that.'

'And you thought he wouldn't tell me! Do you know him at all?' I teased.

'True, that one is on me.'

I just couldn't help the smile that wanted to blossom across my face.

I was betrothed…again.

To Jack.

I was going to marry Jack. I really was this time.

It was really going to happen.

Unfortunately, that was the exact moment my stomach began to start rumbling, rather loudly.

'Hungry?' Jack asked.

'It's been a long day. We had breakfast before sunrise, and nothing since.' I explained. 'What time is it now?'

Jack shrugged.

'It was about an hour or two after midday when I left Rault, and I think I'd only been walking for about two hours when I found you.'

'I left Milton around midday, so it's been about four hours since then.'

'Well, no wonder you're hungry!' Jack cried. Without letting go of my hand, he shifted so he was crouching, and then stood up, pulling me with him. 'We should be heading back anyway.'

I glanced up at the sky, and noticed that the sun was rather low behind the trees.

'We won't make it back to Milton before dark.' I said honestly. 'Even with my horse.'

Jack then looked to the sky.

'No, we won't.' He muttered.

Then, an idea hit me.

'Why don't we go to Rault? You said it's not far, and we technically still own the cottage there. It'll be more comfortable than sleeping on a cave floor.' I said.

Jack's eyes flared wide at that, but then he seemed to gain control of himself.

'You want me to…stay at your house?' He asked.

'Yes. Why is that a problem? You did it before.'

'But your family was there before.' Jack mumbled.

I couldn't argue with that.

'Well, the alternative is staying in a cave overnight. We might as well have beds and pillows.' I reasoned. 'And if we set off now, we can get there just before dark.'

Jack didn't look convinced.

'But…we should really go back.'

There was something about his tone that made me curious.

'Why? What's wrong with staying in Rault?' I asked.

Jack began to fidget.

'I just think we should head back. My mother wanted me back as soon as possible.' He replied, but didn't meet my eyes.

Well, at least that hadn't changed.

'I might be a little out of practice, but I can still tell when you're lying.' I remarked.

Jack head snapped up in surprise.

'I'm not!'

'Then what's the real reason?'

He released a huffed sigh.

'Don't…don't you think…people will talk?' He mumbled. 'Two betrothed people, alone in a house?'

'As opposed to two betrothed people alone in a cave?' I countered. 'There's no way we will make it back to Milton before tomorrow.'

Jack rolled his eyes.

'Fine.' He conceded.

Stepping forward, he raised his hand to grip my face; gently running his thumb over my cheekbone.

'To Rault it is. Anything for the bride.' He added with a smile.

He slowly lowered his head to mine, his forehead resting against my own.

'Tell me this is real.' He whispered. 'Tell me I'm not going to open my eyes and this will all be a dream.'

I grinned, and brought my hands to his face. A very small amount of ginger stubble was beginning to grow there; it was rough against my fingers as I traced his cheek.

'It's real. Or I'm dreaming too.' I told him.

Tilting upwards, I pressed my lips to his, proving once again that this really was happening.

After all this time, we had found each other again.

Our kiss was slow. But that was alright, we had all the time in the world. No more curses or spells, or anything else getting in our way. I could simply enjoy knowing that I was holding Jack, touching Jack, once again. Only hours ago, I hadn't thought it possible that any of this was possible. That he would just turn away from me for all I had done.

But he was here. Against my fingertips, against my lips; the solidity of him, the realness, was almost overwhelming.

He was here.

And we were betrothed. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together.

It was real. It was true.

Jack gently pressed this thumb over my cheekbone again.

'We should really go.' I told him. 'It's going to get dark.'

'You're just saying that because you're hungry.' He teased. 'You could never think of anything but food when you were hungry.'

I scoffed.

'I don't!'

'Yes you do. You always used to complain that it was too long until your next meal.'

'Well, I don't anymore.'

'And why is that?'

'Because I live in a palace with all the food I could ever want.' I joked.

Jack beamed, and shook his head, which was still resting against my own.

'You truly are incredible, Marion.' He whispered.

I shrugged.

'It's actually Lady Marion, if you want to be pedantic.'

Jack scrunched his eyes as he appeared to laugh more.

'Fine. Lady Marion. But it won't be for long.'

'Actually, it will be for the rest of my life.' I informed him.

Jack pulled back at that, and stared at me curiously.

'What?'

'Rose made me a highborn for life. Alexander and Daniel too. It was a surprise she sprung of us at Bianca's ceremony. For our help in bringing down Nerissa. So, regardless of what happens, we now all have titles. Even if we marry…' I told him.

Jack's jaw fell open, yet again.

'So, when we actually get married, you won't be Mrs Hale...you'll be-'

'Lady Marion Hale.' I finished for him. 'I'm not exactly sure what happens to you, whether you also get a title or not. But it is hereditary.'

'You really are full of surprises!' Jack cried. 'Did you not think to mention this before?'

'Why? Would it have changed your answer?'

'Of course not. But it seems like a rather important thing to leave out.'

'It doesn't really affect me. I've been a lady for over a year, and I didn't think that would be changing soon anyway; regardless of whether Rose ennobled us. You and your curse only changed that a few hours ago.'

'Well, I'm sorry for breaking the curse and coming to find you.' Jack teased.

I knew he only meant it in jest, but I still reached forward to grasp his face in my hands.

'Don't. Don't ever be sorry for that.' I told him.

'I won't. I promise.'

He leaned forward and kissed my quickly.

'Now, we really need to go.' He muttered.

'To Rault?'

'To Rault.' He agreed.

Pulling back, I lowered my hand and took his hand in mine.

We began to walk towards Penny, and I reached forward to pull her reins with my other hand.

'Hey, there's my girl.' I told her as her head rose away from the grass she was munching on.

'And this is?' Jack asked.

'This is Penny.' I said, stroking her face. 'Scar's horse. But she's one of the family now. I learned to ride properly with her.'

'So you really are a lady now. Do you ride side saddle too?'

I nudged him with my elbow.

'Not funny.' I smirked.

'I don't think she'll be able to carry us both.' I admitted.

'It's fine. Its' not much of a walk.' He said.

I released his hand to untie Penny. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his expression drop when I left his side to pull her around. No sooner than I had made it to the path, Jack had run around to stand next to me.

'Are you alright?' I asked.

'Of course.'

'Then why are you acting strange?'

'I just…' He glanced to the floor. 'I don't want you to disappear.'

I grinned, as he reached forwards and took my hand in his again.

And together, we walked down the path.

Back to Rault.

It took three hours to arrive.

The night sky was well on its way to covering the air above us when we finally spotted the cottage that I used to call home.

The walking itself had only taken an hour and a half.

But, we kept getting…distracted.

Not that either of us was complaining.

Although, I was quite sure that if Penny could speak, she would object.

The poor horse had no idea why we kept stopping to tie her to a tree for a few minutes.

But, we just couldn't help ourselves.

After so long apart, could anyone blame us?

We were young, in love, and almost delirious with happiness.

And we were about to be married.

After all these months, it was finally going to happen.

The rest of the journey was spent just filling in the details of other things that had happened to us in the time we had been apart.

Jack told me about his life in the castle. The day to day happening, and what it was like for him when Isabelle arrived. How hard it was for him to pretend like he didn't know who she was.

'I knew that she would know what had happened to you, but I couldn't just ask her without making her suspicious about how I knew you. She's very perceptive.' He said. 'It took weeks to finally get it out of her, and then it wasn't exactly good news.'

I remembered that Isabelle had told me that Jack ran out of the room when she told him that I had married someone else.

'What did you say to Weston?' I asked.

'What?'

'Isabelle said that Weston tried to talk to you after that. And he came back with his manner changed. So what did you say to him?'

Jack shrugged.

'I didn't say much. All I can remember was that I accidentally let Isabelle's real name slip. We'd all been calling her Belle; it was the name she introduced herself with. And I was rather upset, I said Isabelle to him instead of Belle. Although, he did seem to brighten once I said that.'

'He…what?' I asked.

'I don't know. He just seemed…excited. I still don't know what. Clearly something to do with Isabelle's name. He kept muttered something under his breath, but I didn't catch it. But he told me then that he was going to break the curse. I didn't listen.'

He gently rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand.

'At least it all worked out in the end.' He admitted. 'Maybe I should have believed him.'

'Why was Isabelle's name so important?' I asked.

'I have no idea. Something about the words 'Isabelle Greyson' meant something to him, clearly.'

'I'll just have to ask him when we get back tomorrow.' I replied.

There were other small details like that which passed the time between the glade and Rault.

However, I was more focused on the boy stood next to me.

That fact he was here before me…was a miracle in itself.

A once in a lifetime, incredible, miracle.

I hardly notice the sky beginning to darken above us. I didn't even realise it was almost too dark to see by until we finally stood at the forest's edge. Nearly every window in the village was lit with lanterns or candles, illuminating the path of my former home. I hadn't been back in nearly two months.

'There it is.' Jack muttered. '

'It hasn't changed.' I said, pulling Penny to a stop.

'Were you expecting it to?'

'I wasn't sure what I was expecting.' I told him honestly.

'How long has it been?' He asked.

'A little over two months.'

Then, my gaze fell on the place that I had spent the first fourteen years of my life in.

'It's so small.'

Jack scoffed.

'Living in a palace really does change you then.' He remarked. 'It's not that small. It's bigger than my mother's house.'

'Yes, but there was only you and your mother living there. There was ten of us at one time. And that was before we built that other room.'

'Regardless of size, it was still your home.'

I smiled a little.

'Yes, it was.'

It was small, and run down; but it was home. There were so many memories from within those four walls. Good, bad; it didn't matter.

This was home.

'Shall we?' I asked.

Jack squeezed my hand in response, and we set off towards the cottage.

It was so strange to know that I had made this journey so many times. But this time, my betrothed was with me.

This was the place that I had returned to when grief had me in its tight grip. James had never actually seen my home. We'd never returned, even after the curse had be broken. I think he'd had the same opinion of the people of Rault as I did. Even though they had been under a curse, they had still driven us out of the village. We had fled for our lives. I still hadn't entirely forgiven them for it. And they never really warmed up to me again either.

But none of that mattered now.

Jack was here.

We reached the end of our garden, and I moved to tie Penny to the fence for the night. Somehow, the blanket we used to cover her in was still in the box by the side of the house.

'If you haven't been here in two months, I'm presuming you don't have any food inside.' Jack said.

Lifting the lid off the box, I pulled Penny's blanket out.

'No, I don't think there will be.' I told him. 'There's a bakery just down the path. I'll go-'

'I'll go. It's fine.' Jack interrupted.

'But you don't know where it is.'

'Do you want to go? And have the news of your return spread around the village like wildfire? I don't mind going; I'll just be a traveller passing through.'

I grinned. I didn't particularly want everyone gossiping; especially if they knew that I was allowing my betrothed to stay in my house with me.

'Fine. You go. Just down the path there, third building on the right when you get to the main square.' I told him, throwing the blanket over Penny's back. 'And there's something I've got to do first.'

Jack looked like he was about to walk off, when suddenly, he changed direction and made for me. I barely had time to gasp, as he pulled my face towards his and kissed me briefly.

'What was that for?' I asked.

Jack shrugged.

'Nothing in particular.' He replied.

The urge to giggle rose within me. How long had it been since I had wanted to do that? In just one afternoon, I had been reduced to a girl of eighteen again.

'Go! I'm hungry' I told him, pushing him gently away. He grinned, and then began to make his way down the path. However, he did glance back as I watched him go. Part of me didn't want to be separated from him, and it seemed the same for him.

But who could blame us?

After everything that we had been through, was it any wonder that we were anxious about letting each other out of our sight? He could disappear, and I discover that I had made all this up, and that the curse wasn't really broken. I knew it was irrational, but that didn't make it any less real.

I just had to keep reminding myself that it was real.

I finished adjusting Penny's blanket, and she settled. She had always been a calm horse. Which was odd, as she came from the stables in Bianca's palace. And she was the opposite of calm.

And Bea would certainly be the opposite of calm as I hadn't told her what had happened. Which was something I needed to change.

Glancing around to make sure no one could see me, I ran towards the line of trees and back into the forest; just close enough that I knew there would be birds listening.

'Bea, I found Jack.' I cried up to them. 'And fortunately, you were right. He still loves me. We didn't have time to come back to Milton, so we're staying in Rault for the night, and we'll be there tomorrow. That should give you plenty of time to wipe that smug smile off your face.'

I knew that birds were good at repeating messages, word for word. So she would get all of that. I could almost see her face before me, with that 'I told you so' look.

But she had other things to worry about right now. I wondered how well her meeting with Weston went. Isabelle and Jack had both said that he was a changed man, but in my mind, he was still that cold and cruel man he had been when I met him. If he was even half as stubborn as he had been, the meeting of Bianca and Weston would have been quite something to witness.

That could wait till morning. Right now, I had the man I loved on his way back any moment.

I made my way back towards the cottage. Penny had settled now; she was lying on the ground.

The cottage was just as dark as I had left it. No one had been inside for a month, and I had not been back in nearly two.

Our home. We had just left, and not looked back.

Maybe we should have.

I had been glad to see the back of it. It was the place I had felt so much pain and loss.

But it had been home. And we had given it up for a palace.

If only my parents could see us now.

I could almost see them before me. Standing by the front door. They used to stand there, arm in arm watching us play when we were little. And that had always been what I had imagined for myself, one day, in the future.

And when James had died, part of that vision had died with him.

But suddenly, my life was no longer what it was. There was light and hope in it once again. I had gotten a second chance at this, and there was no way I was going to let it pass me by.

After everything that life had thrown at me, I was finally ready to be happy and content.

With Jack.

My first love.

Pushing open the creaking and rotting door, I stared at the dark room I had once called home. It felt…different. There were no children running and screaming. No laughter echoing around these four walls.

Just me, with the dark and silence.

The place was clean, cleaner than I expected it to be. I don't know why I thought that one month of disuse would make it fall into disrepair, but somehow, I had expected it.

But everything was the same as I remembered. Clara had left it in a decent state.

I moved towards the drawer in the kitchen, where we always used to keep the candles. Thankfully, Clara and the others hadn't thought candles were necessary to bring to the palace. They were all still there.

I lit them, and pushed them into their old spots in the hole in the wall. Father had carved it out years ago. I could actually see the house now, properly. It was emptier than it had been last time. But given the amount of thing they had brought with them, it didn't seem surprising. All the clothes had gone, even though no one had worn them since they arrived. Luckily, there were still sheets for the beds in the cupboards, so I set to work starting to make them.

I made up one of the boys beds for Jack. It was where he had slept the last time he was here. Then I moved on to my own room.

It was far smaller than I remembered it. My own little private room, away from my sisters. Even my tent at the war camp was larger than this. There was barely room to swing the door open before you walked into the bed. But it had served its purpose. To help me try and get what sleep I could get.

Compared to my room at the palace, this was nothing. Barely even the size of my wardrobe.

How can lives change so fast?

I pushed the sheet down and tucked it under the edge, and I was about to reach for the blanket when a voice rang out through the cottage.

'Marion?'

Hastily, I pulled a blanket over my bed, and almost ran out of the room, to see Jack standing just inside the doorway, basket of food in his hands.

'What took you so long?' I teased, grinning.

'The baker took some persuading, to open up after he closed.' Jack replied, placing the basket down. His red hair really shone in the candlelight. I'd forgotten quite how it did that.

I stood still, frozen for a moment, in how incredible it really was. I could finally see him again, right in front of me.

'Marion? Are you alright?'

I snapped out of my daze.

'What is it?' He asked.

'It's…' I muttered. 'It's just too good to be true.'

He huffed a laugh.

'It's just bread and cheese.' He replied.

I shook my head, grinning.

'You know that's not what I mean.'

He shrugged, still with a smile on his face.

I quickly walked over to where he was standing, and lifted myself onto my tiptoes to press my lips against his cheek. The blood rose in my face; I could feel it.

Jack turned to face me, and caught my head in his hand, and pressed his own lips against mine.

'Still not a dream?' I asked.

He beamed and shook his head.

'No, it's not.'

'Good, because I didn't think I could get this hungry in a dream.' I joked, turning away from Jack and towards the basket of food. Jack however, didn't let me go. Instead, his arms remained around my waist, even as he stood behind me, his head resting on my shoulder.

'Living in a palace has really spoiled you.' He remarked.

'I am well aware of that. Is that a problem?'

Instead of replying, he kissed the soft skin of my neck gently.

'Have a guess.' He murmured.

I tried my best to focus on removing the bread and cheese from the basket, but Jack didn't seem to want to stop.

'Do you actually want this food?' I asked, blushing furiously.

He finally lifted his head, and I turned around to face him.

'Yes I do. But can you blame me?' He grinned.

'Be useful, and see if there's a knife or plates in that cupboard.' I told him, pushing him back slightly. He did go, and his absence felt cold and strange.

But, at least now I could concentrate on food. Because my stomach was definitely starting to protest.

There had been years when I had survived on much less than what I'd had today. Palace life really had spoiled my appetite.

I pulled the loaf of bread out of the basket, and lay it on some cloth. Jack managed to find a knife for the cheese, but I had to show him where we kept the plates.

It was a simple meal, in an old rundown cottage. Only a few candles lit the room. But, to me, it was perfect.

We divided the food, and ate quickly. I almost inhaled mine, something Jack thought was rather funny to watch.

But, even though it had been so long since we had done anything like this, it felt so…familiar. And right.

We laughed and joked throughout the meal. I could hardly remember the last time I had smiled in this house. There was nothing in particular we spoke of; we simply moved fluidly from one topic to another.

And it was honestly the happiest I had been with a man for a long time.

I kept catching the reflection off my betrothal ring in the candlelight. It was the one thing that kept reminding me that all of this was true.

That we were betrothed, and after everything we had been through, we had found each other again.

I wasn't sure quite how long we stayed like that. Our meal had long since finished by the time we stopped talking. It was certainly quite late at night.

'I made a bed for you, in the boy's old room.' I told him, clearing up the plates we had used.

He only nodded in response.

'There's some old bed clothes of Daniel's I think, in one of the drawers, if you need some.'

I carried the plates over to the empty bucket. But before I could lift the bucket up to go and get water from the pump, I felt a warm pair of arms snake around my waist.

'Leave it for tomorrow. It's cold outside.' He whispered, the air ghosting over my ear. 'It was only bread and cheese.'

'But it needs cleaning!' I told him.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek.

'I have waited…'

He pressed another kiss, closer to my ear this time.

'Almost two whole years….'

The next kiss did reach my ear, and I almost shivered.

'To see you again. I am not letting any more time pass me by.'

He placed his lips in the spot just below my ear lobe, that always made me gasp. I felt his smile as I unwillingly made the same sound I always made.

'And I'm not waiting for you to clean some dishes on the day we were reunited.' He mumbled against my skin.

Quickly, I placed down the plate in my hand, and spun around to face him.

'Then you can clean them up tomorrow.' I argued, lifting my arms to wrap around his shoulders.

'I will happily do that.' He grinned.

'Good. Because I'm not used to doing the dishes anymore, I have servants for that.' I teased.

'Highborn power has really gone to your head.'

'So what if it has? I think I deserve a life of comfort and security after everything that happened.'

'You most certainly do.' He said.

'And I think you do too.' I told him, leaning up on my tiptoes so we were face to face.

His arms tightened around my waist.

'What on earth did I do to deserve you?' He muttered, more to himself than to me.

I shrugged, and then tilted my head up, just as Jack brought his down to meet me.

And all of a sudden, we were lost. Lost in each other. Jack's red hair was beneath my fingers, and his scruff was against my cheek.

Tighter and tighter, we clung to each other. His hands found their way up my back and wound themselves in my hair.

Just like they always used to.

And would do again.

That, I think was the best part. The knowledge that we had the rest of our lives with each other, and no damned curse was going to come between us again.

That there was a promise of a future. I had hope, and happiness, and love back in my life once more.

And nothing was ever going to make me let it go.

Suddenly, Jack pulled back, but his hands didn't leave me.

'We…' He panted. 'We should stop.'

I knew what he meant.

We were not married yet. We were only betrothed.

But, that didn't matter to me.

If all had gone as it should, we should have been married for a long time by now.

I wasn't let a small thing, like the fact we were unmarried, stop me from spending time with the man I loved.

'I don't care.' I told him honestly. 'I don't want to stop.'

And with that, I pushed my lips against his again. He stood frozen for a moment, but then seemed to realise what I had said, and pulled away again.

'Marion, please.' He groaned. 'We need to stop.'

'Why?' I asked, lowering myself of my tiptoes.

'We're…We're not married.' He mumbled under his breath.

'But we're going to be.' I said, holding up my ring in proof. 'I love you, and that's all I care about. After all the time we've spent apart, do you really want to spend more time away from each other?'

Jack jaw almost dropped.

'I don't ever want to lose you again.' I told him. 'So don't send me away. Please.'

At that, Jack pulled me in to him tightly, and kissed me fiercely.

It quite stole my breath away. And my heart.

To know that someone could care for me like this. To know that someone…wanted me. It had been a long time since I'd inspired any such reaction in anyone. And it was nice to have that back. I hadn't realised how much I had missed it.

I kissed him back, just a fiercely as he kissed me.

Over and over again.

I could barely breathe. I certainly couldn't think.

I moaned as Jack's lips found their way down my neck, hitting all of the sensitive spots that almost made my knees buckled beneath me.

And I found that I couldn't get enough of him. I wanted to feel more, to see more. My fingers almost ached to trail over his skin.

Jack kissed his way back up the column of my neck, and I grabbed his chin to meet his lips with mine again, my fingers diving into his fire red locks.

I didn't care about what came tomorrow, or what else I needed to do at the palace, or anything else. I didn't even care about the fact that we were married.

All I cared about was Jack.

And I was never going to let him go again.

So, somehow, I managed to untangle myself from him, take his hand…

And I led him to my bedroom.

He stared intently at me all the way there. I could feel it. My betrothal ring sat as a constant reminder of what was to come.

Maybe a little sooner than what was deemed 'proper'.

But, who cared about proper, or what others thought?

Had they lived through what we had; had they suffered everything that we had suffered?

All I cared about…was love.

And how could that be wrong. How could love possibly, ever be wrong?

We reached my tiny cupboard of a room, and I was forced to sit on the bed so Jack could enter behind me. Beaming, I stared back at the face of the man I loved with all my heart.

He turned, and closed the door swiftly behind us.

And that night was the first of our life together.

A life that would never separate us again.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two.**

'Marion?'

Pale morning light struggled against the heavy material of the curtains, trying its best to pour into the room.

'Marion?'

The voice was smaller this time, weaker.

The room was shrouded in darkness, but I knew exactly where everything was.

Including the voice that came from the bed.

I was several feet away, the four posts only just visible before me.

'Marion?'

The wobble in his voice made it clear that he was trying not to cry. As was I.

Or was I crying?

Lifting my hand, I found tears already wetting my cheek.

Why was I crying?

'Why Marion? Why?' The voice asked, louder this time.

I had no response.

I couldn't find the words.

But I knew that I had caused his pain. That it was all my fault.

Shaking a little, I took a step forward.

Towards the large four poster bed before me.

And then another.

The shape of the voice finally came into view.

He was curled up. His knees held to his chest.

His chest, that was moving only a little. His skin was already the pale, sickly colour that only came moments before death.

'You said you loved me.' He cried, and I heard the first sob in his voice.

Kneeling down, I stared at the face that had haunted me for so long.

'I do love you James.' I whispered.

James didn't lift his eyes to look at me.

'You lied! You loved me. You promised to love me.'

'I did! I never lied.'

He curled up on himself, holding himself tighter and tighter.

'It was him. You love him.' He almost spat, but his voice sounded too weak to force the words out the way he meant it.

I stood shocked. How could he know? Guilt flooded through me.

What had I done?

'You let me die. And now you love someone else?' He snarled. 'Why do you get another chance at happiness? Where was my chance at life?'

A sob rose in my chest.

How could he think this of me?

'I…I tried to help.' I managed to make out.

'But it didn't help.' He snapped. 'You failed. I lost everything.'

'I lost everything too.' I cried.

'No you didn't. You had your life. Now, only worms surround me. You didn't help Marion. You just stood there and watched.' He said, his words becoming weaker and weaker by the second.

'I…I…There was nothing… I could do.' I sobbed.

'It all worked out for you, didn't it? You got him back. And I'm still in the ground.'

'James, stop. Please.' I begged, tears were streaming down my cheeks now.

'You let me die, and now you have everything back to where you want it to be. You don't deserve it.'

'Stop!' I screamed.

'All that pain I went through. Do you know how painful it was when the fever took hold? It felt like something was tearing me apart. But you wouldn't care.'

'James! I did care! Just stop.'

'You're still alive. And I get nothing. I loved you, and you've left me.' His words were almost a whisper now.

'I'm sorry.' I sobbed, pain racing through me.

'That won't bring me back. Nothing will.' He breathed out.

But, he didn't take another breath in.

His arms released the tight grip they'd had on his knees, and his remained utterly still.

Lifeless.

Dead.

Something rose within me.

Something I couldn't fight.

And then, the scream tore out of me.

James was here again. Or at least, his body was.

Looking exactly how he had done the last time I had seen him.

His forest green eyes now held no spark of life, only emptiness.

I had lost him again.

My chest caved in on itself.

I had done this.

I didn't deserve any of this.

I had stood and watched him die. I was the monster.

I had let him die.

It was my fault.

All my fault.

So, the screaming continued.

I jolted awake.

Gasping for air, my eyes flew open, and I struggled to contain the scream that was still lodged in my throat.

Only blackness surrounded me. And heat.

Sweat covered me. It was almost uncomfortably warm.

I couldn't breathe properly. Gasping frantically, I tried to get any air into my lungs.

In, and out. That's all I had to keep doing. Breathe in…and then breathe out.

I thought I had gotten past this.

That it was finally over.

The guilt had almost faded, and I could live my life happily.

Clearly not.

I sucked the air in through my nose, as I tried so hard to contain the tears that were threatening to pour from my eyes.

James had been there.

And he had hated me.

I had let him die. That was my fault.

It was all my fault.

An unbearable pain rose in my chest, and I found I couldn't contain my tears anymore.

Shifting in bed, I tried to roll onto my side, but found, I couldn't.

Because there was an arm, pressing down on my waist.

Someone else's arm. Not my own.

I quickly glanced up, to see the faint glimmer of red hair in the dark.

Jack's sleeping form lay beside me. Happy and content. Still dreaming peacefully.

It was at that moment, that the memory of last night flooded back through me.

And what we had done.

Suddenly, the guilt I felt now made more sense.

What on earth had I done?

There was no winning. I couldn't do anything without feeling guilty about the other.

I had promised James I would love him for the rest of my days. And here I was lying in bed with Jack.

But, I was betrothed to Jack. And had been long before I married James. So was staying loyal to James something I could do to Jack, and hurt him in that way?

A sob rose in my throat.

I hurt everyone I knew. All this pain was my fault.

I didn't deserve this happiness. I didn't deserve Jack in my life.

What had I done to him? Why did I ask him to marry me?

Why did I let him into my bed?

Unable to contain it any longer, I slowly shifted out of Jack's reach, tears stinging my eyes. He didn't wake up.

I reached down, and pulled my dress up around me. It had been left in a pile on the floor, along with Jack's clothes. The back fastenings remained undone; I didn't have the energy to tie them up. My dress simply balanced on my shoulders. Then silently, without looking back at Jack, I tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind me.

The entire house was still and quiet. As was the entire village. Not a sound.

It had been quiet that morning too. The morning I had lost him.

Even though it had been over a year, that image of his dead body still was as fresh in my mind as the moment it had happened.

That utter stillness that had consumed him. He had looked…unnatural. Wrong somehow.

And I had done that to him.

He wasn't here, because of me. I had made him feel all that pain, I had betrayed him.

I stumbled into the main room, my vision partially smudged with tears, and collapsed into the armchair by the fire.

I had ruined everything. James had hated me, and now Jack would too. I'd dragged him into my wreck of a life. He deserved so much better.

Then, the sobs started.

And there was nothing I could do to stop them.

Grief still consumed me. It wasn't always there, but when it was, there was no overpowering it.

There was still the part of me that was still devastated that I was never going to see him again. That I was never going to hear his laugh, feel his lips against mine, or even just stand beside him.

I missed him. I truly did.

And I missed him far more than I had missed Jack. I'd only known about Jack's existence for a day. I had known that James was dead for over a year now.

My hands were shaking as I wrapped my arms around myself.

He had been there, right before me.

And he had hated me.

For abandoning him for Jack.

He had been so hurt, and in so much pain.

But nothing hurt as much as seeing his lifeless body again.

That simply destroyed me.

He had been reduced to a shell. An empty vessel of the man he had been. The incredible man he had been.

The tears kept falling, and I let out a low moan. I just couldn't keep silent.

Part of me knew it was a nightmare. It had only been a dream.

But he had been there. Looking just as he had done the last time I had seen him.

I brought my knees up to my chest, and buried my head in my skirt, the tears spreading through the fabric.

Breathing was a chore. There were sobs that crushed my chest so badly that I couldn't breathe.

And the pain I felt. I knew it was deserved.

The James in my dream had been right. What had I done to deserve a second chance at happiness, when he didn't get a second chance at life? Why did I deserve more than him? All he had done was help me, and love me. And look where it got him.

I was the monster. I had caused James's death, and now who knew what I could do to Jack. How I could ruin him.

So, the tears kept falling.

'Marion?'

I snapped my head around to the source of the noise.

Jack stood by the doorway to the girl's room, staring at me. He wore his trousers, but nothing else.

Even in the dark, I could see his worried expression.

I remained frozen, even the tears welling in my eyes didn't grow.

Jack didn't hesitate thought. In several strides he stood before me, and crouched.

'Marion, what's the matter?' He asked, clearly worried.

Part of me didn't want to tell him. To sound weak and pathetic, that I had gotten so upset about something that wasn't even real. I knew in my heart James would never had said those things about me. But, that didn't take away how upset I was now.

So, I stayed silent.

Jack took a slow step towards me.

'Is it...Did I do something?' He asked, his voice lined with terror.

I shook my head. How could he possible think he could do anything to cause me pain?

'Did I hurt you?' He asked. 'If I did, Marion…I'm so sorr-'

'I had a nightmare.' I admitted finally, cutting him off. There was something about releasing those words that made me lose what little control I had over my emotions.

And a sob rose in my chest again, forcing me to bury my face between my knees. My arms remained firmly crossed, hugging my legs to my chest. It felt like the only thing keeping me from bursting apart.

How pathetic and weak I must have looked to Jack. That I got so worked up over a dream.

I fully expected him to turn away and leave me be.

But, instead, he almost ran to my side.

Kneeling before me, he rested his hand on my shoulder.

'It's alright. It wasn't real.' He told me. 'You're safe. It didn't happen.'

'But it did happen!' I sobbed. 'He looked just the same.'

I felt Jack's hand tense slightly.

'You dreamt about him?' He asked.

And I knew for certain he would leave now.

How could I possible expect him to understand that I was still dreaming about my dead husband?

'I'm sorry.' I managed to get out between breaths. 'I didn't mean to.'

'Why are you apologising?' Jack asked.

At that, I had to look up.

'What do you mean?' I asked him.

Jack huffed a laugh.

'I'm not angry. You can't help what you dream of. I just want to know you're alright. That's all I care about.' He replied. 'Did you…see him…pass?'

I could only nod in my shock.

He wasn't angry? Or upset?

'Are you alright?' Jack asked.

I shook my head. That was the one thing I was certain of.

'He hated me.' I admitted.

'Hated you? How could anyone hate you?'

'He knew about us. He…he was about…to…to die…and he used his last words….to…to scream at me for falling in love again…and betraying him. And…and then…then he…'

Tears welled in my eyes as I saw his lifeless corpse before me, once again, and the sobs poured out of me.

Jack didn't waste a moment. Before I knew what was happening, there were arms around me, pulling off the chair, and resting me in his lap, my face lying on his shoulder.

I clung to him, as he held me gently; simply waiting for my tears to pass.

What on earth had I done to deserve someone like Jack?

He just stayed with me, his silent presence was all the comfort I needed. It didn't matter to him that I had been dreaming of another man. That I had been in love with him.

This was not how I imagined tonight going.

Jack rubbed my back soothingly, while his other hand cradled my head.

And for the first time, in a long time, I felt…safe. Jack wouldn't judge me for how I felt, or just leave me to sort myself out. I knew my family had tried their best to help me, but nothing quite felt like this.

I thought I was past this. That I could have finally put this part of my life behind me.

But clearly, I couldn't.

There was no part of this that was easy. I couldn't just say that I loved Jack, without feeling guilty about abandoning James. And I couldn't admit that part of me still want James back with me, without hurting Jack.

I truly had made such a mess of thing.

I had made every wrong decision, made every wrong choice; leading to this moment.

If only I had known what I was doing. I would never have fallen for James, if I knew that Jack had bene waiting for me, somewhere. I was not that sort of girl. No matter what James threw my way, I would have waited for Jack, no matter how long it took.

But I hadn't waited. I had married someone else, and watched him die. And that decision was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.' I managed to utter, between the heartbreaking sobs that wracked my chest.

Jack simply pressed his lips against my forehead.

'You have nothing to apologise for. I love you. I will always love you.'

Simply hearing the words made more tears fall, even if it did heal my broken heart just a little.

Someone still loved me.

Jack still loved me.

My family loved me.

Bianca loved me.

And…I knew deep down…that James had loved me too.

One of the last things he had said to me was that he wanted me to be happy. That I should find Jack, and be happy with him.

And that wasn't hard to accept.

Because I knew, that if the situation had been reversed…I would have truly wanted him to be happy.

If I had died, and James had lived, I would never have wished for him to go through what the past year had been for me. I would have wanted him to live and love, and simply lead a happy life.

If there was one thing that James's death taught me, it was that life could be cut far too short to not be as happy as you could be. Any moment, it could all be taken from you.

So, I clung to Jack with everything that I had.

The tears still fell. The pain hadn't truly gone. And I wasn't sure it ever would.

But, so help me, if I wasted another precious second I had with Jack.

James would never have said the things he had said in my dream. He would have done the right thing. He wanted me to be happy without him.

And while it was always going to hurt…I had something else to cling onto.

Hope. I finally had hope for the future.

Without James.

But with Jack.

Eventually, my tears started to fade, and I was able to see again, and actually breathe.

'Jack?' I asked, my throat burning and sore from the sobs.

'Yes?' He replied.

'I love you.' I admitted to him. I think I just needed to say the word out loud.

Because they were true. They really were.

His arms tightened around me.

'I love you too.' He told me, pulling me closer.

'And I so sorry, that you had to see me like this.' I said.

He scowled.

'You don't have to apologise for that.' He told me. 'You didn't see me the day after we were cursed. Or the week after. Or even the year after.'

I pulled back and wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

'What were you like?' I asked, becoming far too aware now that he was wearing only his trousers.

'You don't want to know.'

'No, I do.' I sniffled.

'Just as bad as this. Possibly worse.'

I pulled back to see his face.

'How much worse?'

He shrugged.

'I don't know. It's not something you usually compare with another person.'

I huffed as much of a laugh as I could summon.

'No, it isn't.'

He lifted his hand, and ran it over my cheek; wiping away the few tears that remained.

'Are you alright? It was just a dream, it wasn't real.'

I nodded.

'I know. I do know it wasn't real. But…the feelings were real.' I told him.

'They always are.' He replied. 'That's the worst part.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.'

'It's fine.'

'I just have trouble sleeping sometimes. I thought…I thought I was past this.'

Jack gently tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

'You can wake me up in the middle of the night for the rest of my life, and I won't mind.'

'I'm sure you will get annoyed eventually.' I told him, even though my heart wanted to burst.

'It will be a long time in the future.' He said.

'Don't tell me that, I'll want to test it to see how long you last before you snap.' I teased.

He grinned.

'All I ask,' He said, in a serious tone, 'Is that you're there for me, if it happens to me again.'

I took his hand in mine and nodded.

That was something I could agree to instantly.

'Of course.' I told him. 'But only after we'd married. I sense that we won't be able to repeat this again while we're back in Milton. And I'm not risking your mother's wrath.'

Jack nodded in agreement.

'She can be…overprotective. But her heart's in the right place.' He reasoned.

'How on earth am I going to explain all of this to her? I don't think she'll be as forgiving as you.' I cried.

'She'll come around. I'll make sure she does. You just have to keep reminding yourself that you did nothing wrong.'

'Oh yes, between the marrying someone else, and sharing a bed with you before our wedding, I'm sure she will think I'm all goodness and innocence.'

'Maybe don't tell her that part.' Jack muttered. 'If she asks, we spent the night in completely separate rooms. Ideally, separate houses. Maybe I should just tell her I slept in a cave, miles away….'

'That's possibly just a little extreme for a lie.'

'Well, what do we tell Bianca?' Jack asked. 'I can't see her being exactly thrilled about this either.'

I huffed a laugh.

'Trust me, we don't need to worry about Bea. After what she did with Antony, she has no argument.'

Jack's eyes widened just a little, as he clearly worked out what I meant.

'But, just to be on the safe side,' I told him, 'I don't think we should stay in the same place together until after we're married.'

Jack nodded, and lifted his hand to cup my cheek.

Leaning in, he whispered 'Well, if we've only got tonight.'

Blood ran to my face, and I was rather thankful for the darkness that still surrounded us, so Jack couldn't see me blushing.

He pressed his lips to mine, but it was me who moved. Wrapping my arms around his back, I pulled him closer towards me as I moved my lips over his.

He was right. If this was all the time we were going to have until we were married, we needed to make the best use of it. And after my nightmare, I was in no rush to fall back asleep.

Again and again, I moved my lips over Jack's, as his own fingers tangled in my hair.

'Please,' He murmured against my skin when he moved his attentions from my lips to my cheeks and my neck, 'Please make this a short betrothal'

I let out a loose laugh.

'How short is short?' I asked, breathlessly.

'Ideally, a few hours.' He mumbled, the vibrations flowing through me.

'I think my sister would kill me if we had yet another hurried wedding.' I told him, remembering how much she had ranted at Alexander for his three days of notice.

'I don't care.' Jack muttered pulling back, his eyes half lidded.

'Neither do I.' I whispered.

At that, he wrapped his arms around me tightly, and lowered me down until my back hit the rug.

We didn't move from that spot until daybreak.

And we certainly didn't sleep.

I was exhausted.

Utterly drained.

Two nights in a row of very little sleep, and a day of chasing after Jack, had left me completely exhausted. And then there was the small matter of the other thing we had done.

That had left me aching. Or maybe that was from the horse riding.

Whatever the cause or reason, I managed to fall asleep for a little while, whilst Jack went to go and try to borrow a horse from one of the nearby farmers. It was a day and a half's walk to Milton, or about seven hours ride. And as much as I wanted to spend more time with Jack, I knew it would be more suspicious if we spent two nights alone on the journey back. The gossips of Milton certainly wouldn't believe that we had managed to find two different places to sleep each night. One, we could just about get away with. Even if we were completely guilty of what they would no doubt accuse us of.

I had tried to stay awake whilst Jack was out, but I simply couldn't. But, despite my exhaustion, I felt truly content. For the first time, in a long time.

Yes, I had been happy at the Palace, but I still had nightmares, and no one came to comfort me. And of course I was beyond happy when Bianca had become the Duchess. But with that came all the work and stress of that.

Here, with only me and Jack, I finally felt simply content.

I wasn't aware of how deeply I was sleeping, until I was slowly shaken awake, and everything around me was a blur.

'Marion? Come on, we need to get going.' Jack's voice told me.

I groaned.

'No, sleep.' I muttered.

'We need to go. Or Blanche is going to come after us.'

That woke me up. I certainly wouldn't put it past Bea to do that just to irritate me.

I dragged myself out of the warm confines of my blanket, my mood dropping considerably with the cold.

Jack left as I pulled out a dress to change into. At least in my panic, I'd had the good sense to pick dresses that I could ride in. Some of my fitted ones were certainly more fashionable than practical, and they didn't come out of the wardrobe very often. Only when we had to make a good impression. Which was far more often than I liked.

I gathered my old dress into my arms, and gently pulled out the necklace that still remained there from yesterday. The emerald felt cold in my hand. It was probably the longest I had gone without wearing it. I dropped my dress into my bag, and hooked the chain around my neck.

Even though I was betrothed, I still didn't want to lose that part of James that I had kept with me. Not yet, at least.

My ring already sat, glistening on my finger. The promise of a future, of hope.

I quickly brushed my hair out and finished packing up everything I had brought. We really had to get moving if we wanted to make it back before sundown.

Jack, thankfully, was waiting for me, with my cloak held out before him. I step towards him as he wrapped it around my shoulders.

'Ready?' He asked. I nodded, and tried to hide the yawn that was rising in my throat. I really needed just a few more hours of sleep, but I had things to do.

Jack had to get back. His mother had only seen him for a few hours, after not remembering him for almost two years. She would want more time with her only son.

And I had left Bea to meet Lord Weston, on her own, in a new town, with people she'd never met before.

I could only feel sorry for Weston. He'd had no idea what had been about to hit him.

Maybe she had hit him? I wouldn't have put it past her.

I sighed.

'I just wish we had more time.' I told him.

Jack took my hand in his.

'We will have time. That's what this means.' He muttered, rubbing him thumb over my ring.

'I know. I mean more time now.'

'Why do you think I want a short betrothal?' He joked.

'Well,' I said, 'As long as it's longer than Alexander's, then I can't see there being much of an issue.'

'Since the first proposal, we've been betrothed for two years. That surely must be long enough. How long was Alexander's?'

'Three days.'

Jack beamed.

'Well, we've definitely had a longer betrothal than that.'

'I don't think that's how Clara will see it.'

Jack released a sigh.

'How short can it be then?' He asked, leaning his forehead against my own.

'I think she might be satisfied with two weeks.'

'One?'

'Two weeks.'

'Ten days?'

'Two weeks!'

'Eleven days?'

I laughed.

'It's not me you'll be arguing with. Clara will not give in easily.'

He raised his other hand to wrap around my waist.

'It's our wedding.' He complained. 'Not hers.'

'Well, it might be hers sooner than I would like.' I mumbled.

'Surely we get a say in when our wedding day is.' He argued.

Then, he pulled me in close, and lowered his lips to mine.

It was only a brief kiss. Tender and sweet.

'If you think we get a say in it.' I muttered when he pulled back, 'Then you clearly don't know my family.'

'Or,' He whispered, 'We could just tell everyone what happened last night, and we'd have to get married before sundown today.'

Blood rushed to my face, burning my skin.

'Do you want to be the centre of gossip and scandal.'

'But it's true. It wouldn't be gossip. It would just be…talk.'

'It would still be scandal.'

'But it would mean that you would be my wife by tonight.' He teased.

I knew he wasn't serious. He would never put me through something like that.

'Two weeks.' I countered. 'To be confirmed by Clara when we get back. I'll have to write to her from Milton. She and the others are still at the palace.'

Jack reluctantly agreed, and gave me another brief kiss.

'We really need to go if we're going to get there before dark.' He told me, almost pulling me out of the door.

I closed it behind me, not looking back.

This place had been my home once. But not anymore.

My home was wherever Jack and my family was.

So I was quite happy to see the back of the cottage.

We both climbed atop of our horses, and quickly set off back into the forest.

And back towards Milton.

It was a long journey.

Jack was not used to riding, so we had to go at a much slower pace than I would have liked.

But even riding slowly was still much faster than walking.

We managed to save time by eating whilst riding, instead of stopping.

Quite honestly, the potential wrath of Jack's mother was enough to keep me moving.

I liked Mrs Hale. She was a very direct woman who clearly wanted the best for her son. But she was someone who spoke her own mind, regardless of how it affected anyone else. It was something I wished I could do. But I was far too used to simply putting on a smile and supressing the urge to tell someone exactly what I thought. I'd only ever let my control go a few times; the time I stood up to Lady Evil came to mind.

But the possibility that I might be on the receiving end of that, if I kept Jack away from her for longer than was necessary, kept me going. She already had reason enough to hate me, for marrying someone else. I'd just have to wait and see. There was no avoiding the meeting. When I married Jack, she would be my mother-in-law.

Despite the fact we were moving at a slower pace, we still managed to make it back to Milton with about half an hour of daylight left. Although the horses were clearly exhausted.

To give them a little bit of a break, we walked the last part, guiding the horses into the village square.

Where, much to my surprise, there was quite a gathering of people.

Not quite as many as had been at the castle yesterday, but still a significant number of people.

Several of them glanced our way as we approached. Most of them stared at Jack.

I supposed, that it wasn't surprising.

Jack must have been the one absent person from yesterday's…event. I didn't even know what word could come close to describing it.

One of the few people who had been cursed and forgotten about. They were quite the talk of the village. As so they should be, after all they had been through.

It only took a matter of moments before people started to crowd around us, bombarding Jack with questions and apologies. Many of the older women wanted to know exactly what had happened, no doubt to repeat to everyone through gossip. But they all wanted to know first.

Such was the way of the gossips of Milton.

A few noticed me, and asked me questions about where I had been for the past two years. I wasn't quite ready to repeat my rather long story to everyone who came to ask me, so I simply said that I went back to Rault when my father got sick and passed. That seemed to satisfy them, for now.

I knew that Amelia already knew what had happened to me, so it wouldn't be long before the matrons of Milton started harassing me for all those details. But for now, I could keep them at bay.

I lost track of how long we tried to find polite ways of leaving, before Jack suddenly claimed that his horse needed to rest, and dragged it after him, towards his mother's house.

'I should probably go to see her first.' He mumbled, as we walked away from the crowd. 'If you want to go to the palace…'

'I'm sure Bianca can wait a few more minutes. She lay dead in front of me, and put me through that. She owes me.' I teased. 'And besides, I think it's going to be more Weston needing rescuing from Bianca, than the other way around.'

'True.' Jack muttered.

I'd only seen Jack's childhood home a few times before. He'd lived in the castle all the time we had been courting, so the only times I had ever needed to go was when I had been to see his mother.

It was a strange house. But that was only because it hadn't always been just a house.

Jack's father had been a carpenter, before he had died. The front part of the house was his old shop, that Jack's mother had turned into part of a house.

They had lived in the room behind the shop, but when Jack came along, he had needed somewhere to sleep, and somewhere to move and play in. So, she got rid of the carpenter equipment, and made her home larger than a single room. Mrs Hale had explained all of this to me a long time ago, when I was courting Jack.

She herself, had been a highborn. Not a particularly well born one, but enough that marrying a carpenter was seen as beneath her. She had run away for love, and never looked back. Maybe that was why she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. As a highborn, there were few people who could stop you saying what you wanted. Being a lowborn was a different matter.

'Promise me you won't be talked out of our betrothal.' I whispered frantically as we approached the house.

Jack stopped, stunned.

'Why on earth would I ever be talked out of it?' He asked, shocked.

'I don't think your mother is going to be my biggest supporter.' I told him. 'And rightly so.'

Jack shook his head.

'No, not rightly so. You haven't done anything wrong. She has nothing to hold against you. She didn't even know she had a son! No one knew.'

'That still doesn't make what I did right.'

'Please, just don't worry. She liked you before, I don't know why that would change.' He told me.

I barely had time to formulate an argument before the front door to the house was flung open, making both of our heads snap around towards it.

And there, in the doorway, stood her.

Mrs Ellen Hale.

'Jack!' She cried, half running towards us, her dress billowing behind her.

Her dark brown hair was starting to show a little grey, but her eyes still held the same wondrous glint they always did. Both her and Jack shared the more intriguing coloured eyes. A mix of bright blue and green, shining like jewels. I guessed he must have gotten his red hair from his father.

She pulled her son in tightly; so much that Jack had to let go of the horse's rein.

'I said I'd be back.' He told her, as I reached to pick up the leather strap before the horse decided to make a run for it.

'I know!' She cried. 'But I'm allowed to worry! I'm your mother!'

She pulled back to scan his face. Her eyes fixed on the scar on his cheek, and she let out a sigh.

'Oh, Jack!' She muttered.

'It's nothing.' He insisted.

'I know! I'm just…not used to seeing you like this.' She explained. 'It's a change. It's all a change.'

She smiled sadly.

'You look like a man now. And I missed it.'

Blood rushed to my face. I knew she didn't mean it in the way I was thinking, but that was where my mind went, and I pretended to find the leather strap of the two horses reins extremely interesting.

Jack sighed.

'I'm sorry that…time passed?' He said.

His mother scoffed at that, but then finally turned her attention to me.

'Hello Marion.' She said kindly.

'Nice to see you again, Mrs Hale.' I managed to say as politely as I could.

She shook her head.

'How many times have I told you to call me Ellen!' She laughed, stepping towards me, and pulling me in for an embrace.

This was unexpected. But nice.

The shock of it made me drop both the reins, but I heard Jack pick them up and moved the horses away somewhere to be tied up.

I didn't know what to say to her. Did I immediately apologise for abandoning her son just days before our wedding day, and going off and marrying someone else? Did she even know?

'So, he found you then.' She said, pulling back.

'We sort of found each other on the road.'

'You were looking for him too.'

I nodded.

She grinned.

'I knew it. I knew you would look for him.'

I stood stunned. This…this I had not been expecting. To be welcomed back with open arms.

She clearly didn't know what had happened. What I had done.

'Didn't I tell you Jack!' She cried back to him.

'Yes, you did.' He admitted, grinning at me.

'Oh, you should have seen him that night Marion! Happy one minute, and sad the next! There was a fair amount of tears shed, most of them by me. But I told him that you would find him, no matter what had happened! And look just how right I was.'

No matter what had happened?

Did she…did she know what I had done?

No, she couldn't. There was no way she would be so welcoming and accepting if she did.

'I'm rather glad you were right.' I told her.

'Have you got any food? Jack asked his mother.

'Yes! Yes, come on inside! I'll make a pot of tea!'

I stood a little uncomfortably. I knew that I needed to get to the castle soon. I'd left Bea alone with people she'd never met before for a whole day. As much as she put on a good face for her people, she still wasn't entirely at ease with new people after living so long in isolation. Her manners were still a bit rough, and it took her a long time to start to trust people.

'Marion?' Jack asked, offering his hand.

'I don't think I should stay for long. Bea's still at the castle.' I admitted.

Ellen turned around.

'Just one cup of tea! I haven't seen you in such a long time!'

I knew it would be rude to refuse, and I didn't need any more reasons for Mrs Hale to think badly of me. And besides, I was more than certain that Bianca could handle herself for a few more minutes.

So, I followed them inside.

Mrs Hale made herself busy by putting the pot of on to boil, while Jack sat with me at the table.

'So, Marion, what have you been up to all these months? Jack told me a little, but he didn't seem to know much.' Mrs Hale asked me.

I could have sworn I felt all the blood leave my face.

I cleared my throat, as it appeared to have tightened.

'What exactly did he tell you?' I asked, glaring at him.

'Something about a curse…and a wedding.' She told me.

At that, I did freeze.

'You told her?' I managed to utter under my breath.

Jack took my hand in his.

'Don't worry.' He mouthed.

'I…uh…um.'

Words seemed beyond me.

Mrs Hale hooked the pot over the fire, and then came to join us at the table.

'I'm sorry, is it still…too soon?'

Stunned, I shook my head.

'No, it's…it's fine.' I managed to utter.

She smiled kindly.

How was she smiling? She knew that I had abandoned her son and married someone else, and she didn't seem to have an issue with it.

'Are you alright dear?' She asked.

'Yes. I just…I thought…' I mumbled.

'She thought that you would hold it against her.' Jack explained. 'That we would hold it against her.'

Mrs Hale's eyes went wide.

'What? Gracious no!' She laughed.

Relief flooded through me.

'Dearie me. How could we hold anything against you? How can we hold anything against anyone? We were all cursed. I didn't even know I had a son! We all had lives these past years. And believe me, we all feel just as guilty as you.' She explained.

I let out a sigh.

'I'm sorry, I just…I just felt awful. It's been a very emotional few days.'

She nodded.

'It's been tough for everyone. All anyone could talk about today was the castle and the curse. Oh, and that Duchess arriving.'

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

'No one can tell her she was the talk of the village. I'll never hear the end of it.' I joked.

'What? Why?' Mrs Hale asked.

'She arrived with me, yesterday.'

'You arrived with a Duchess?' Mrs Hale cried.

'She's my sister in law. My brother married her sister six months ago.' I explained.

Once again, Mrs Hale's eyes grew wide with shock. Jack simply grinned.

'You really are full of surprises today!' She uttered.

But then, her brow furrowed.

'You said you arrived yesterday? I could have sworn everyone was talking about the Duchess arriving today.'

I shook my head.

'It was definitely yesterday.' I assured her.

She shrugged.

'Anyway, I feel there is a good story to with the fact you now have a Duchess for a sister in law. And I still want to know about this wedding.' She said

Then, her face turned serious.

'How long has it been? Since he passed.' She asked.

I took a deep breath.

'Just over a year.'

She nodded.

'I would say I'm sorry, but I'm sure you are sick of hearing it. I know I was. And it didn't help anything. I hated them for it.'

Her words struck true.

Even though I knew she was widowed as well, I always just thought of her as Jack's mother, not a widow. She had endured what I had. One of the first people I knew who had actually survived the pain and heartbreak that had nearly consumed me.

'No, it didn't help. No matter how many times people said it.' I admitted.

She nodded kindly.

'After I lost Sam…nothing could make me move. All I did was lie in bed and cry. The only thing that got me through it, was knowing that Jack was on the way. I couldn't have even imagined what it must be like going on with no hope. You're a stronger woman than I.'

I was at a loss for words. Just to know that someone else had been through what I had endure, and that she didn't pity me or give me empty words of condolences.

Under the table, Jack squeezed my hand.

'What was his name?' She asked.

I took a deep breath.

'James.' I said in a raspy voice. 'His name was James. And he saved me when I needed it most.'

She nodded.

'So then, what's the story?'

I glanced at Jack, and began to speak.

I didn't give her every detail I had given Jack. Only the brief overview of events.

But all the while, she didn't pity me, or give me false words of 'It will get better' which was all I had heard from the villagers of Rault.

She was one of the few people who truly understood what it had been like to go through. Bea and my siblings had tried their best, but they didn't know what it was like to lose someone like that.

We drank our tea, finished the story, and noticed that it had just fallen dark.

'I'm really sorry, but I have to get to the castle. I left Bianca alone there, and I don't think Weston is a match for her. She needs someone to scale her back a little.'

Ellen nodded, and Jack said that he'd go with me.

'I better face her now, or she might come after me in the middle of the night.' He told me in a subdued voice.

'Do you have locks on your door, because that is entirely possible.' I replied.

He grinned, then turned to his mother, and promised to be back within the hour.

I bid Ellen goodbye, and she stood and waved from the doorway as we climbed back atop our horses, and set off into the night.

'See, it wasn't so bad.' Jack said.

'No, it really wasn't so bad.' I replied.

Then I grinned at him.

'Now it's your turn. Are you nervous about seeing Bianca?'

He glared at me.

'If you're going to tell me there's nothing to worry about, then I will call you a liar.' He said.

I nodded.

'I would never say that. Bea follows her own rules, so who knows what she's going to do. I certainly don't and I've lived with her for a year. You are on your own for this one.'

'That's just…great.' He sighed.

It got darker and darker the closer to the castle we came. We passed the pond where we used to meet, the place where he had proposed for the first time, the place where we had shared our first kiss. All of them had meaning again, not simply places I used to know.

I couldn't help but smile as we passed them.

The castle lights finally lit up our path.

Jack sighed.

'I just escaped from this place. It's only taken a day to get me back.' He muttered.

'Are you alright? Being back here?' I asked, noticing how tightly he was gripping the reins of his horse.

He shrugged.

'I will be fine. But I don't think I'm going to enjoy being here. The sooner I can turn my back on this place, the better.'

I could only imagine how difficult it would be to be back in the place you had been imprisoned in for years. But he was here for me, to deliver me safely to Bea. He faced the castle again for me.

The glow of the candles in the castle windows spilled onto the ground as we tied up the horses, and ascended the stones steps to the ominous front doors.

Jack seemed to be moving slowly. So, I offered him my hand as we climbed the last few steps and knocked on the door.

'Have you ever had to knock?' I asked him.

He shook his head.

'Not this door. The servant's door, many times.'

Footsteps echoed around the hallway on the other side of the door, and I tried my best to put on a brave face, before seeing Weston again.

The door creaked open, but much to my surprise, a familiar face greeted me.

'Oh thank goodness you're here!' Bea cried, beaming. Her eyes then moved to Jack stood beside me.

And that damned smug grin broke out across her face.

'I knew it!' She shouted. 'Didn't I say!'

I rolled my eyes, while Jack appeared to be frozen to the spot.

'I told you to wipe that smile off your face. You've had all day.' I said

She shrugged.

'Since when do I listen to you?' She teased.

'Never.' I admitted.

Then, she turned her attention fully to Jack.

'Nice to see you again Jack. Thank you for proving me right.' She said.

'No kidnapping this time?' He asked. I couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious.

More footsteps sounded in the entrance hall.

'No, I've moved on from that.' She told him. 'There's more paperwork involved.'

'Yes, Marion told me. A Duchess.' He said.

'It's a little different from criminal in the forest. And the work is not the greatest, but after all we went through to get my title back, I'm stuck with it.'

Jack's eyes went wide as he lifted his gaze past Bianca's head.

'Oh yes.' Bianca noted, glancing to me, 'Speaking of Duchesses…'

I had no idea what she was referring to…until she stepped to the side.

And someone stood in the entrance hall staring at me.

Someone I hadn't seen in far too long.

As, right before my eyes…

Duchess Ella Howards stood.

Ella.

She was here.

I froze.

Ella was here.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three.**

Ella.

What?

How?

Why was she here?

What could she possibly be doing here?

I hadn't set eyes on her in over a year.

Not since the funeral. And I hadn't spoken to her since the night before.

That day I had screamed at her, and blamed her for everything. I had blamed her for James's death.

Ella!

I had… treated her abominably.

I had been a monster, and blamed her for killing my husband, and one of her friends.

And she was here…right before me.

She had been one of my greatest friend, and I had hurt her. I had caused her to collapse to the floor before me, tears streaming down her face.

And all she had done was simply host a ball to celebrate her birthday.

I had ruined any chance of friendship with her. I didn't deserve it. Not after what I had put her through.

It had taken me far too long to admit it to myself, but Christopher had been right all those weeks ago, in the war camp.

I had punished her, because she had not been perfect. The one time she hadn't thought of every possible consequence, was the one time that the worst happened.

Everyone made mistakes. No one deserved what I did to Ella for one slip of judgement.

There was no way for me to atone; to ask forgiveness of what I had put her through. No way to even begin to salvage what we'd had before.

She had been my greatest friend as a young girl. All those nights we stayed up by candle light, reading to each other, and exchanging stories and gossip. The ways she had been kind to me, despite the fact I was her servant. We'd had no one else our own age, stuck in that manor for days on end. Was it any wonder we had been as close as we had been? It had been that way for years, and that wasn't easily erased.

Or rebuilt.

A vicious coil wrapped itself around my stomach, tightening to the point of pain.

What could I say? What could I do?

I was frozen to the spot, unable to do anything.

But stare at the woman who used to be my closest friend in the world.

She was staring back at me as well. Her eyes wide, with some emotion I could not place. Fear? Surprise? Anticipation?

Her eyes were just the same as her son's. Rich brown, which contrasted so well with her golden hair.

More footsteps sounded in the hall, but I couldn't bring myself to look towards them.

'Arry?' Bianca whispered, somewhere nearby.

I opened my mouth to make an answer, but no words came to my mind.

'Marion! Wake up!' Bea hissed, and I snapped my head towards her.

She glared at me.

'Don't blame me.' She whispered. 'There was no way to get a message to you.'

'What?' Came a dry sound from my lips.

'She's been here all day.' Bea explained in a hushed voice. 'Waiting for you.'

If I hadn't already been too shocked to move, I might have frozen at that.

Ella was here…to see me?

Why?

Why on earth would she want to see me? What could we possibly have to say to each other, to make up for what had passed before.

Too many words were spoken. Too much to undo.

I felt a slight pressure on my hand, and I glanced down to see Jack squeezing my hand comfortingly. Although I had told him what had happened, he hadn't been present on the day that I had last spoken to her. He didn't know exactly what had passed between us.

But he was doing his best to help. If I didn't already love him, I might have loved him for just that.

Ella took a tentative step forward, and my attention was instantly back on her.

I wanted to run. Or at least step back.

Nerves were alight throughout me. I thought I might be sick.

I should not be here. I didn't deserve to see her.

This confrontation was something I wanted to avoid.

If she had been here all day, waiting for me…then that could not be good.

Maybe she was here to return the harsh words I had given her, all those months ago. I more than deserved it.

But I wasn't sure I could take those words.

I might have survived much worse, but right now…I didn't want to hear them.

Ella took another small step towards me, and I actually did take one back without thinking.

Her eyes flashed wide from shock at this.

'Marion?' She asked, in a shaking voice.

I froze at that.

She still sounded the same. The voice that once I had looked forward to hearing. All those days in the manor, I would run at the sound of that voice, and we no doubt find ourselves in some mischief or other.

The one time in my life where my biggest concern was if the beds had been made in time, or if the pots were back on the right shelf before Mrs Pole noticed.

Her voice was the sound of that time in my life. The happy childhood I'd had. It wasn't one that had been free of hardship, but I had been happy.

I'd been happy up until the curse. That had changed everything.

Other footsteps echoed around the entrance hall, and suddenly, another few familiar faces came into view.

Christopher stood on the staircase, unable to decide who to look at, me or his wife. Isabelle too ran onto the staircase, clearly curious.

However, there was someone less familiar who also stood by Isabelle's side.

Lord Weston looked drastically different than the last time I had seen him. Gone was the self-righteous and pompous smirk he always seemed to wear. And gone too were the fancy and elaborate clothes. He wore nothing but a simple white shirt, some plain brown trousers, and a simple black overcoat.

He looked…rather handsome, surprisingly. No frown on his face, or contempt in his eyes.

Instead, he looked simply happy. And the way he was standing so close to Isabelle left me in no doubt that what she had told me was true.

Looking to his side, stood another familiar face, but one I had not seen in a good while. Jaqueline, Ella's stepsister from the manor. I knew she had moved into the palace with Ella after her marriage. But she hadn't been at Ella's ball. I think someone mentioned something about visiting her father's relatives at the time. At least she wasn't visiting her mother or sister. The less time dwelt on them, the better.

I glanced back to Christopher, who seemed almost pale with worry. Although, I wasn't sure for whom.

After all the time we had spent in the war camp, he had told me about how Ella had been this past year. And how upset she had been when I had driven her away. Screamed at her for making a simple mistake. He had tried his best to heal the gulf I had created between us, although with a siege happening at the same time, it was rather hard to find time to talk about such a small thing.

The war camp had made most other things seem insignificant by comparison. My lack of relationship with Ella was not as important as the fact that there was Scarlett being captured, and Bianca being found dead.

But now there was no such danger, and I was terrified of what Ella could say to me.

I'd been in a war camp! How was I scared of this?

Loudly, Bianca sighed, and grabbed my hand, pulling me forwards.

I hadn't realised until that moment that Jack and I had still been stood outside the door. Bea reached behind us and closed it firmly.

Shut in. No backing out now.

Ella still stood, staring at me.

It felt like everyone in the room was staring at me.

They all must know. They knew what I had done.

Their silent judgments rained down on me. I just knew it.

There could be no justification of how I treated Ella. No possible reason.

Terror filled me. What were they planning for me? Was there some punishment waiting?

Ella had been here all day; she clearly had a purpose. There would be no reason to come all this way without one.

'Marion, please.' Ella muttered.

'Please?' I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

'I just...just want…to talk.' She told me.

That had me stunned.

Talk?

To me?

What could I possibly say to her? There was nothing I could say in my own defense. No possible justification.

But with Ella; there was far too much she could say to me.

After our last meeting, I was surprised she didn't attack me with her hands and nails.

'Talk about what?' I somehow managed to utter.

She sighed.

'Talk about... James.' She said.

I thought the pain would have gone.

After all this time, after all that had happened; I stupidly thought that tears wouldn't spring to my eyes at the mere mention of his name.

But... they did.

I'd talked about him before.

With other people, in other contexts.

But not with her. Never with her.

Despite the fact that Jack stood by my side, and the fact I knew I loved him; James was still a part of my story that was never going to fade.

Blinking frantically, and hoping no one saw the tears, I faced Ella.

'What about him?' I asked.

Ella sighed.

'I... I want to apologise. For whatever part I played in... his end. I honestly didn't think. I didn't know that it would lead to...to his...'

She took a small step forward.

'I know that you can probably never forgive me. I don't blame you for that. If anything ever

happened to Christopher... I'd...'

Her own eyes seemed to be lined with silver.

'When the curse broke last night, I knew about your wedding. Or at least your planned wedding.'

She glanced down, and her eyes went wide when she saw what exactly lay on my finger. Bea too, saw the ring, and grinned. I'd already told her through the birds, so it wasn't a surprise for her.

Ella turned her attention back to me.

'I was invited before. I wasn't sure if I would be again.' She muttered.

Then, she shook her head.

'And this isn't simply because I want to be invited to your wedding!' She explained quickly. 'This is... because I thought you would need a friend.'

Once again, I was completely stunned.

'I can't imagine what the past day has been like for you.' She continued. 'And I honestly just wanted to ensure you were alright.'

'What?' I asked.

She froze.

'You came to see if I was alright?' I repeated slowly.

Ella only nodded her head.

'I wasn't there for you before. There's no one to blame but me. When you were all alone in the forest, I didn't come to help. And after the ball... there was no excuse for how I treated you. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to lose him like that, and I did nothing to help.'

She sighed.

'I'm so sorry Marion. For everything. I... I was a horrid friend. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness and understanding... but.'

She paused, and blinked away a tear.

'I miss my friend. I miss you. I want you to be a part of my life again, a part of my children's lives. And I want to be in yours, if you'll have me.'

Her words struck me hard.

'James... he was my friend too. And I know that I could never feel the loss you felt, but I miss him as well. I...I truly never meant to hurt him. I'm so sorry for everything. Marion, please...say something.'

I'd fallen silent. What could I say?

This was not the confrontation I had been expecting. Far from it.

It was clear that she'd planned this speech. Her words were practiced, rehearsed. But if she'd been here all day waiting for me, was it any surprise.

It was just a little irritating that my response couldn't also be thought out in the same way. This was all rather sprung upon me.

I had expected...that I should be the one to apologise to her. Not the other way around! But, here it was.

And she expected me to say something.

Ella stood as still as a statue, staring at me. As did the rest of the room. Although, with Bianca, I was certain it was more from boredom than tension.

She'd known my heart for a while now. And I was in no doubt that she knew exactly how this was going to play out. The others seemed to be waiting with held breaths.

I couldn't find the word. Couldn't move my head around what I wanted to say. What I needed to say.

So instead, my legs moved.

One foot.

Then the other.

Closer and closer to Ella.

Until finally, I was stood before her.

And…Threw my arms around her.

She faltered a step backwards. I think she was as shocked with this reaction as I was.

But I knew it was the right one.

I needed this. To have my friend back in my arms again.

And I was never going to let her go again.

It was several moments before I felt her move, and her own arms engulfed me, clinging tightly.

Her golden locks clouded my vision. I didn't care. All I cared about was the fact that I had my friend back.

The friend I never should have pushed away. It was all my fault, the rift between us. Completely. However, there was no way I could go back and change it. No way at all. So, all that was left was to continue forwards, and vow to never make the same mistake twice.

Hopefully, I would never be in such a state that my emotions overwhelm me again. And certainly not after losing another husband.

That would not be happening. I would not let it happen.

'I'm so sorry.' I mumbled against Ella's hair. She shook her head, but refused to loosen her grip on me.

'You have nothing to apologise for.' She cried.

'But I do! This never would have happened if I had thought for a second about what I was doing.' I admitted.

'You were grieving. There was no time for thinking of anything else.'

Her kind and angelic voice flooded through me. It was hard not to sink back into the old way of things; where I saw Ella as this perfect Highborn girl, who had befriended me out of kindness. That somehow, I was lower than her, and that our friendship would always be like that.

It wasn't like that at all. And it wasn't going to be again. I would make sure of it.

'I missed you.' I told her.

She let out a sound that sounded somewhere between a sob and a sigh.

'I missed you, so much.' She told me. 'When little Ellie was born, I could just imagine you outside the room, waiting to meet her. As you did for Jonathan.'

I pulled back a little.

'When do I get to meet her?' I asked, unable to keep the smile of my face.

Ella beamed.

'Tonight, if you'd like.' She told me. 'She's upstairs, sleeping. As is Jonathan.'

Then, without warning, she pulled me in close.

'Oh, I'm so happy Marion!' She cried, her arms squeezing me so tightly that nearly all the air in my lungs escaped.

Frantically trying to breathe, I pulled back a little to see Christopher almost running down the staircase; two at a time. He too, was beaming.

'Ella!' I managed to utter breathlessly.

'Oh! Sorry!' She cried, jumping back.

Christopher approached the two of us.

'Marion!' He greeted me, giving me a chaste kiss on my cheek. Then, his gaze lifted to over my shoulder. 'And this must be Jack?' He asked.

Jack appeared at my side, but I didn't hear him move.

'Yes, your grace.' He replied, as Christopher took his hand and shook it.

Christopher's brow furrowed a little.

'I swear I've seen you before somewhere.' He said. 'Your hair is rather distinctive.'

'I was serving at a Ball you hosted, three years ago.' Jack explained. 'That's where I met Marion, actually. Earlier that day.'

Christopher's eyes went wide.

'Yes! I remember. You arrived with Adam, and he started shouting at you for no reason.' He explained.

Jack nodded and huffed a laugh, while indignant footsteps sounded from the stairs.

'I was having a bad day.' Lord Weston said, in some vain attempt to defend himself.

'A bad few months, years in fact.' Jack muttered under his breath.

Lord Adam Weston hopped down the last few stairs, and made his way towards the gathering group.

'Jack already knows how sorry I am for my past behaviour. He's certainly had to put up with it too many times.' Weston said. 'And it won't be happening again.'

'I'll say!' Isabelle offered. 'I will be doing my best to keep you in check.'

He turned on his heel, and grinned wildly at her.

If I knew anything about Isabelle, it was that she would certainly keep Weston in check. Without a doubt. And it appeared as if that wouldn't be too hard. Just from the look on his face, it was obvious that he was completely smitten with her. As well he should be. She blushed from her position on the stairs.

'Good luck with that, Miss Greyson.' Christopher told her. 'I've known Adam for a good long while, and he can be a handful when he wants to be. I'm sure Jack will tell you.'

'Oh, I've already told her, your grace.' Jack added.

'Your Grace?' Bianca scoffed. 'How is it that he gets the proper title, but I don't?' She asked Jack.

'Because he didn't pretend to kidnap Marion as a joke.' Jack told her curtly.

Everyone else's eyes went wide, as Bea rolled hers.

'That was one time! Are you always going to hold that over me?'

'Yes.' Both Jack and I said at the same time.

By this time, Jaqueline and Isabelle had joined us.

'What on earth happened?' Jaqueline asked.

'Bea has a slight flair for dramatics.' I explained. 'She also enjoys coming back from the dead.'

Bianca held her hands up to protest her innocence.

'That was also only one time.'

'Stars above, how fascinating!' Jaqueline sighed, glancing towards Bianca in a peculiar way. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and her open lips were turned up in a slight smile.

'Not as much fascinating, as terrifying.' I noted.

'It was a rather…emotional day.' Christopher added.

'You were there Christopher?' Adam asked.

Bianca and I nodded.

'Yes, there was quite a gathering of us at the war camp.' Christopher explained. 'Antony and Philip were there.'

'But no James.' Adam said quickly.

Everyone seemed to freeze.

'No.' Christopher told him. 'No, this was after…after he passed.'

'It was only a few weeks ago.' Bianca said.

Suddenly, Lord Weston turned to me.

'I've been told that you were James's wife.' He said.

I could only nod.

Weston sighed.

'Well, I never really liked him much. Schoolboy rivalry. And I knew he didn't like me much either.' He told me. 'But I was sorry to hear of his passing.'

'Thank you.' I muttered.

'I know now that I was jealous of him all those years. He was always more well liked than me, despite his lower birth.'

Isabelle coughed rather loudly beside him.

'Not that birth should matter.' He corrected himself. 'But I did think so at the time. And I can now see that if I hadn't been so arrogant and proud, that I actually might have liked him. He had a way with people. He seemed to make those three idiots laugh all the time.'

'Adam!' Isabelle cried.

'No, it's alright.' Christopher told her, laughing. 'We were idiots as young boys. Its honestly a miracle that we all got through school with only a few bruises and a couple of angry words from our tutors.'

I smiled a little.

'What I mean is,' Lord Weston continued. 'I am genuinely sorry for your loss. And I'm glad that you've finally stopped Jack from looking so miserable all the time. I don't think he's smiled like this for the past two years.'

'I did.' Jack protested. 'When the curse broke! But that also might have been something to do with Marion…'

I snaked my arms around his waist as he stood by my side, smiling down at me, and I couldn't help but beam up at him.

'Urgh! Why am I always surrounded by happy couples! It makes me sick.' Bea complained in jest.

'So,' Ella asked, in a curious voice. 'What's the news? You appear to be wearing a betrothal ring.'

I laughed and held my hand out as everyone was trying to peer around to look at the ring that sat on my finger.

'We're not going to lose any more time.' I said plainly, as Jack pressed a chaste kiss to the top of my head. 'We were a week away from getting married before the curse, it only seems right to continue from there. Provided my sister lets me have a wedding in such a small space of time.'

'Why would your sister stop you from getting married.' Jaqueline asked.

'You haven't met Clara.' Bea told her. 'She's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to romantic events. There's only been two weddings in the family so far, and both have been rather hurried. She will not be best pleased if there is another without the proper planning.'

'Surely she will understand!' Ella cried.

Both Bianca and I scoffed.

'Good luck with that one.' Bea muttered.

'But it's not her wedding.' Ella argued.

'That won't matter. I swear she had more of a hand in planning my sister's wedding than my actual sister.' Bea told her.

'How good is she at planning weddings?' Isabelle asked curiously.

We all turned to stare at her.

'What?' She asked innocently. 'It might be nice to have some help…'

My jaw dropped.

I knew that they were in love, but…marriage?

Were they betrothed? Isabelle was barely older than Clara! And she had always been fiercely independent. I knew that was no excuse not to marry, but it never struck me that she would be one to rush into this sort of thing.

'Not yet!' She clarified when she saw our shocked faces. That was supposed to calm us. However, the one thing that did not calm me was the look on Weston's face when she mentioned it.

It was not the look of someone who had no plans to marry in the near future. It was the face of someone who knew wedding bells would be ringing in a very short space of time. But just how short, I did not know.

How could they be betrothed so quickly? Isabelle said herself that they had only admitted their love for each other only two days ago.

'Well, I think there is another wedding to focus on first.' Adam said after a slight pause, clearly trying to divert the attention back towards me and Jack.

'Yes, I believe congratulations are in order.' Christopher announced. 'You don't have any wine or something to celebrate, do you Adam?'

'I…I should have…somewhere.' Weston admitted, glancing to Jack.

'It's in the cellar.' Jack told him. Isabelle rolled her eyes at her…betrothed? Lover? I didn't know the correct word for it.

'You would have thought you would know your way around your own castle by now.' Isabelle sighed.

'I know all the important parts. Just not the kitchens and cellars.'

'So, the lowborn places?' Isabelle raised her eyebrow.

'I'm trying.' He admitted, taking her hand gently. 'I'm not going to learn everything overnight. My memory is not that good.'

'I'll go and get it.' Jack conceded. 'Shall I show you, so you don't look stupid the next time someone asks?'

Adam nodded, and began to follow Jack away from the group.

It astounded me slightly; the way the Jack now talked to Weston. When I knew him before, Jack had been fairly shy, and would certainly never have spoken to his master in such a way. Weston himself, would never have allowed for it.

But now, it was all different. I supposed that being trapped in a castle with only each other's company for nearly two years would alter their relationship slightly. I doubted his servants acted much like servants towards him now. It wasn't like they could leave, or receive wages, or even visit family on their days off. I guessed that Jack would never be Weston's servant again, at least in behaviour, if not in name.

As soon as they disappeared from the group, Ella grasped my arm.

'While we wait, I need to go and check on the little ones, if you'd like to see them?' She asked. I could tell however, that the way she was hold my arm meant that a refusal was not going to be likely. 'Isabelle, would you like to come too?'

I barely had time to reply, before Ella started to drag me away, Isabelle close on our heels.

'Christopher, you should go and make sure that they choose the good wine. Not that red vinegar stuff.' Ella told him as we were hallway up the stairs. 'Something sweet for a celebration.'

I wondered at the hurry in leaving the room, and how Ella seemed to have it in her head to get us all out of it. Apart from Jaqueline and Bianca who remained…

Reaching the top of the stairs, Ella pulled me through the door, and Isabelle closed it behind us.

'Thank you for that.' Isabelle muttered under her breath.

'What?' I asked, extremely confused.

'You're welcome. But it's also partly for her.' Ella told her.

I stood amazed and utterly lost as to what was happening.

'What? For who?'

'Shh!' Ella whispered as the three of us began to walk down the hall. 'Or they'll hear you!'

'Hear what? Can someone please explain what is going on?' I demanded.

'Duchess Bianca and Lady Jaqueline!' Isabelle whispered excitedly.

'What?'

'They've been inseparable all day.' Ella finally explained.

'And irritating all day.' Isabelle added.

All thoughts in my head seemed to cease. All I could feel was utter shock coursing through me.

'I think… there might be a certain…spark there.' Ella said so quietly, I could barely hear it.

A spark? Of what?

Friendship? Something more?

Never before had I known anyone who…who preferred…

I had heard about people like that, I was not that innocent and naïve. I'd just never encountered anyone like that before.

But, it was possible that I had been blind.

After all, Ella was talking about Jaqueline…and Bianca.

My sister in law. The person who I now considered to be my greatest friend.

'No.' I muttered. 'I think you're mistaken.'

'I really don't think we are.' Isabelle said.

'But, Bea…Bea likes men.' I told them.

'Are you sure of that?' Isabelle challenged.

'Yes! She had…There was a lot of time she spent with Antony. They…they were lovers.' I admitted quietly.

'But no longer?'

'No, Bea said that she didn't feel…any sort of …want of a future with him.'

'Marion, do we really have to explain this to you?' Isabelle sighed. 'Think about it.'

And so I did.

Bea had told me that she didn't care for Antony in the way he did for her. So, how exactly had she cared for him? She clearly hadn't loved him, otherwise they'd still be together now. And she'd allowed him into her bed, that much was certain. I knew they officially had separate rooms, those weeks he had stayed at the palace. And they'd had their own tents at the war camp, but I had seen with my own eyes that Antony had not returned to his tent that night.

But…Bea hadn't wanted to continue seeing him romantically.

I had thought it a little strange at the time. But I had been rather distracted with the news that Jack was alive. Was it any wonder I hadn't questioned it much?

I'd heard of people who had shared a room for a night, and then decided that it was not for them. And I could understand why. But Bianca and Antony had been together for a fair number of nights.

I didn't know. I knew I was lucky myself that I had fallen in love with two rather incredible men, and that I'd never had any regrets or worries that I might have chosen wrong. Not everyone had that.

Maybe Bea hadn't…Or maybe there was another reason for this.

The reason, may have resided with Jaqueline…or at least the fact she was a woman.

I'd never considered that possibility before. The thought had never even crossed my mind.

But Ella and Isabelle seemed rather insistent that this was the situation that was occurring.

Was it possible? That Bianca…might prefer women over men?

And even if this was true, what about Jaqueline?

I didn't know her that well. Only those few weeks that we had both been at the manor, and that short time before Ella's wedding. In all that time, she had been rather shy and timid; not counting that one time she stood up to her mother when Ella was locked in the attic. Other than that, I didn't know much about her.

It was all…just a bit of a shock.

Bianca?

Likes women?

'Of course I'm happy they're having a nice time,' Isabelle said, 'But it's getting a bit much. They clearly want to be left alone'

'I'm just glad that Jaqueline seems to finally be hopeful.' Ella remarked.

'What?' I whispered, my mind still spinning a little.

'Pardon?' Ella asked.

'You knew about Jaqueline?' I asked. Suddenly realising how it sounded, I tried to correct myself 'Not in that way! I'm actually curious.'

'Yes, I've known for years. She's my sister, she told me after Jonathan was born.' Ella said.

'Bea…Bea never said anything.' I mumbled. I knew we weren't actual sisters, but I felt we had been close enough to be.

'Maybe she didn't know herself?' Ella tried to reassure me. 'Jaqueline told me it took her a while to…work it out herself. And Bianca doesn't appear to have had much time to think about it; between the running from home, surviving in the forest, and reclaiming her birth right.'

That was true. There had been so much that had happened to her, that I didn't think that romantic entanglements had been at the top of her priorities list. Survival had definitely been her largest concern, and everything after that seemed minor by comparison.

We rounded a corner to walk down a long corridor with large intricate doors lining the walls. I only recognised parts of the castle. It had been a long time since I had been here, and even when I had, my experience had been limited to the servant's quarters and Lord Weston's dressing room.

'They're in here.' Ella whispered softly, pushing the door open a little, smiling.

All thoughts of Bianca and Jaqueline left my head as I peered into the nursery to see two small sleeping children in adjacent beds. Or at least bed.

Little Jonathan was fast asleep, his bed sheets wrapped tightly around his form. He clearly wriggled a lot in the night.

But next to him, lay a crib.

A crib with a tiny baby girl laying adorably asleep, one arm above her head, and her other hand on the pillow next to her head. She appeared to suck her thumb to fall asleep.

My heart almost stopped.

She looked so much like Ella. Her short golden hair was just long enough that it was starting to curl, but her face was unmistakably Ella's.

'How old is she now?' I asked.

'Nearly one, in a few weeks.' Ella muttered.

'She's beautiful.' I told her, unable to take my eyes off her.

I felt a large pang of regret. I could have been her godmother, if only I hadn't been so stupid and pushed Ella away. I could have been there when she had been born. I could have been at her christening. I could have spent lazy afternoons in the palace with Ella and Christopher, and the two children, making baby Ellie laugh, and chasing Jonathan around. They wouldn't have been strangers to me.

But instead, I had never seen her face before. She was a complete stranger to me. Christopher had introduced me to Jonathan as 'Aunty Marion', and he didn't have the faintest idea of who I was.

James had been Jonathan's godfather, and in his absence, I had failed to even see him. Jonathan was as close to a son as James had ever had. He would have loved these two, I knew it. As he would have loved any children we would have had, if we'd been given the time.

I had to look away, as tears began to gather in my eyes.

There was no point thinking of the past. Of what could have been. Of what I had missed out on. Of what my own stupidity had made me do.

I'd missed so much. Time was the one thing I could never take back.

Ellie was almost a year old, and I'd never met her before. My oldest friend's child had never seen my face. She would never know of the man who should have been her uncle, in closeness, if not in name.

'She's got her father's eyes.' Ella remarked. 'They were the first thing we noticed when she was born.'

I sighed.

'James would have loved her.' I said honestly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ella nod.

'He would have.' She agreed.

'She's truly adorable. They both are.' Isabelle noted. 'She's been crawling around all day.'

'Yes, she tries to run away a lot. She always giggles though when Christopher catches her. She's his little princess.' Ella said.

'So she should be.' I mumbled. 'All daughters should be princesses to their fathers. I know me and my sisters were.'

We might not have had much growing up, but my father did treat us like royalty. We had no castles, or gowns or jewels, but we had him, and my mother. They never let our poverty get in the way of their love for us.

I missed them. I truly did. It had been many months since I had thought about them, but I did. And now, for the second time, they would not be there to see my wedding day. Or the birth of their first grandchild in the spring.

Ella surely must feel the same. I was there when both of her parents passed, and I knew she grieved them terribly when we were still at the manor. Her own parents missed the chance to meet these two beautiful children.

As I had I, through my own stupidity.

'We should let them sleep.' Ella said, stepping back, prompting me to follow. I closed the door as quietly as possible, and turned around to face my friends.

'Jonathan's growing up too fast.' I noted.

Ella nodded.

'And I hate it. He'll be off at school before I can blink, and then he'll be a man. No longer my baby boy.'

'He'll always be your baby boy.' I told her, linking my arm through hers. 'Now, tell me everything I've missed! It's been too long.'

The three of us began to make our way back to the main hall, while Ella and Isabelle told me off all the stories and tales from the past year. I learned about Eleanor's christening, Jonathan's second birthday, the highborn events Ella had to host to make sure that all in the county were content, the scandals between bored ladies and charming young men. How Ella had to take charge when Christopher went to the war camp, and had to figure out what various legal terms and documents meant.

It was nice to simply talk to her again. To have my friend back.

Isabelle told me about the goings on in the castle and in Milton since I had left. I'd heard the majority of it, but the little stories about the one time that they played hide and seek to pass the time and Agnes found such a good hiding place that she fell asleep and no one could find her for hours.

It was stories like this that reminded me exactly how much I had missed. With Ella, with Jack, with Isabelle. All my friends that I'd not spoken to or seen, that had once been such a large part of my life. The people who I had back in my life once again.

And I was never going to let them go again.

We returned to the entrance hall, to discover that no one was there, but the sounds of conversation radiated from the dining hall next door.

Isabelle confidently strode forward. She clearly knew every inch of the castle now, and walked around like she owned the place. As I was in no doubt that one day soon, she would.

It was large and ornate. As were most rooms in this castle. Large intricate windows lined one side of the room, while patterned wallpaper hung from the wall, holding portraits of men and women I presumed to be former Weston's. A large oak table with gold inlay sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by equally decorative chairs covered in velvet. Everything about the room screamed of the wealth and prosperity of the owner.

However, despite all the grandeur, I did notice a few missing seats, and a couple of empty spots where paintings had clearly hung before. But, considering that the inhabitants of this castle had not been able to leave to replace such things, or even buy the materials to fix them, was it any wonder that the years had left a few empty spots.

Bianca and Jaqueline stood in the corner by the fire, deep in conversation. And now that Ella and Isabelle had pointed out what I was looking at, they did seem to have a certain…way about them. Jaqueline's wide eyes and slight smile made much more sense now. It was almost the same expression I'm sure was on my face when I knew James. And it was the face I had seen Alexander wear many times whilst looking at his wife.

However, someone else in the room rather grabbed my attention.

Jack stood the closest, beaming. He had turned to me the moment I walked through the door, and I couldn't help but smile back.

Ella and Isabelle walked straight over to Christopher and Adam who were also talking at the head of the table, but I made my way over to Jack.

'How are they?' He asked quietly.

'Just…adorable.' I admitted. 'We're going to have to visit Ella a lot. I've got a lot of playing with them to catch up with.'

Jack lowered himself, and kissed the top of my head.

'I'm sure we can manage that.' He said. Then, he sighed.

Pulling back a little, I glance up to him.

'If you don't mind me asking, where will we be visiting them from?' He inquired.

'What do you mean from?'

'Where are we going to live.' He asked bluntly.

'I..I honestly don't know.' I replied. 'I haven't really thought about it much.'

'I'm presuming you are too high and mighty to want to live in that little cottage at the edge of town.'

I scoffed, and playful pushed him back.

'I am not!'

'You are.'

'I'm not! I'd live in a ditch with you if that's what it came too!'

Jack beamed, but then raised his eyebrows.

'Would you?'

'Yes, just don't ask me to prove it.' I told him flatly.

He chuckled a little at that. It made me wonder, after all that had happened, when was the last time he had laughed so freely?

'So, we're not living in a ditch then?' He laughed.

'I think we can maybe live somewhere a little better than that.' I told him. 'Honestly, I just assumed that we'd go back to the palace.'

Jack's eyes widened with shock a little.

'You think I could live…in a palace.'

'You lived here for the past several years.' I told him, gesturing around.

'As a servant. Trust me, the servant's quarters are nothing like this.'

'Why shouldn't you live there? I'm still not quite sure how I ended up living there, and I'm lower born than you.'

'How are you lower born?'

'My grandfather wasn't a highborn.' I argued.

'No, your sister in law is just a Duchess.' He teased back.

I took his hand in mine.

'My family is there. Or at least, most of them are. And with the new baby coming in spring, and Bianca's workload, and my little sister…I'd feel much better if I stayed there with them.' I told him.

He finally sighed.

'I'm sure if you could live in a ditch for me, then I can live in a palace for you.' He said, with a teasing tone to his voice.

'Yes, how hard for you.' I joked.

'It really is. I rather had my heart set on our little ditch.' He whispered, lowering his face to mine, before kissing me quickly. A rather loud cough interrupted us, and I didn't need to look to know that it was Bea.

'Really, in front of us all?' She asked.

'When you've been separated for nearly two years, then you can judge.' I told her, beaming.

She huffed a sigh, and held out two glasses of wine to us, while the others began to gather around. I grabbed my quickly as she wasted no time in letting go so she could pick up her own cup.

'I suppose a toast is in order.' She announced.

Everyone half raised their glasses before them, including myself and Jack.

'To Marion. For simply saying yes to a question.' Bianca teased sarcastically.

'But I didn't say yes.' I told her. 'I asked the question.'

A few shocked looks and curious glances went around the assembled people.

'Fine,' Bea huffed. 'To Marion, for asking a simple question.'

I coughed pointedly, and gestured to Jack.

Bianca sighed.

'And I suppose to Jack too…for something or other.'

It took an enormous amount of restraint not to smack her. I knew she was only joking, but that didn't make the urge to hit her any less.

So, instead, Christopher raised his glass a little higher, and took over.

'To Marion and Jack. The heartiest congratulations to the both of you, for finding each other despite curses and trials. We all wish you a world of happiness after all the hardship you've suffered. No one deserves it more.'

Finally, lifting his glass up above his eye level, he announced, 'To Marion and Jack.'

'To Marion and Jack.' Everyone echoed, before drinking.

And in that moment, surrounded by my friends, and beside the man I loved, I truly felt my heart about to burst. With the love I had for my friends, for the happiness I had with Jack, and the promise that the future was going to hold no more pain and heartbreak like the past I had known.

Everything was going to be fine.

Everything was already good.

'To us.' I murmured before sipping my wine, beaming as I did so.

For we did deserve this happiness.

We truly did.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four.**

The following day flew by. I scarcely had time to breathe, let alone think.

We all agreed to stay in Milton, for the foreseeable future. Jack went back to stay with his mother. But after such a long time apart, it wasn't any surprise that his mother wanted her son around as much as possible before we got married. Before I moved him away to the Palace, which was several hours ride away.

Ella and Christopher stayed in the castle with Weston. There weren't really many other places they could stay. There was a small inn near the middle of the village, but I didn't think that were used to accommodating a Duke, Duchess, and their two small children. And while Christopher and Adam had not been the closest of friends in the past, they still had not seen each other for two years, and I imagine would have much to talk about.

Isabelle went back home, to look after her father. His fever had broken, thankfully, so he simply needed rest to recover. The day she had been at the castle, she'd had her friend sit in the house in case he needed anything. But she told me that he could get out of bed now; he was just a little weak. But I was told by Ella that she came to the castle for at least an hour every day, regardless of weather. And conveniently, Weston would always disappear from the Howards' company to attend to something whenever she arrived. It didn't take a genius to work out what was happening.

However, it must have been an adjustment for them. The two of them had lived in the castle together for months, slowly learning their feeling for each other. But now that they had admitted it, and the curse was broken, they were forced to live separately, because they weren't married and no longer erased from everyone's memories.

I would have hated that. If I'd had to move away from James after we'd admitted that we loved each other. James did disappear for a week afterwards, so I had some sense of what it was like for them.

So, that left myself and Bianca. We'd decided stayed in Milton, at least until the wedding. Even with Bianca's workload, she had decided that staying nearby someone who also knew what it was like to be in her position would help her, and would be worth a few weeks break. Christopher had instantly agreed to talk her through some of the more difficult situations and pieces of paperwork. He was far too polite to say anything but yes.

And I, clearly, had another reason to stay.

After so long apart, I was not going back to the palace to miss more time with Jack. It would not be as it had been that one night we had in my old home, but it was better than nothing. Just to be near him, to be able to talk with him again.

Therefore, Bianca and I moved into the little cottage on the outskirts of the village. People talked, of course. They were baffled by the idea that a Duchess would be happy to stay in such a small house. But if they had known what she was like, they wouldn't have been surprised.

It wasn't quite the home coming experience I had once expected. I was living with Bianca, and not Jack. And after the palace, this tiny cottage was not quite the dream I'd once hoped for. Palace life really had spoiled me.

I'd also forgotten what a truly terrible cook Bea was. She tried to make dinner the first night, but it had been so long since she'd last had to cook in a kitchen, that the result was…inedible. The boiled potatoes were not so much food, as disintegrated soup, and the meat was a little too much like charcoal for my liking. But it was nice of her to make an attempt. She said it was a surprise, but the real surprise came the day after.

When a carriage arrived in Milton, carrying five Browns. Well…I suppose six Browns now. Alexander and Daniel rode on top of the carriage, holding the reins, while Scarlett, Clara and Gwen waved frantically out of the window. The carriage had barely pulled to a stop before Gwen was pushing at the door. She just couldn't find the handle.

Curls flying, she ran out the carriage the moment Scarlett opened the door for her.

'Arry, Arry! Is it true? I woke up, and Scarlett said you'd gone. And Bea too. And I could remember all about Jack. He was the man who drew me, wasn't he! I remembered all of it!' She shouted, bouncing into my arms.

'Yes, yes he is.' I told her.

'And what's this I remember about a wedding?' Clara cried as she joined us.

'Straight to the point as always Clara.' Bianca mumbled from beside me.

'Someone has to be.' She argued. 'I need to know if I need to get a new dress. And if my skills are needed.'

'Skills?' Bea asked. 'I thought you just liked organising everything.'

'That's a skill!'

'Tyrants also like that sort of thing.' Bea mumbled.

'What?'

'Nothing.' She insisted.

Clara glared at her for a moment, and then turned to me.

'So, Scar said something about a betrothal. To a certain red headed young man?' She asked.

I smiled a little.

'Oh, you mean that young man?' I said, pointing to the window behind me, well aware of who stood there.

Everyone's head's snapped around to see Jack waving from inside the cottage. He'd been there since early this morning, discussing possible wedding plans with me, while Bea made unhelpful retching noises in the corner.

'Jack!' Gwen cried. 'It is you!'

He slowly made his way out of the house to join us, just as my brothers finished settling the horses and walked up the path.

'You really have grown Gwen.' He told her.

'I'm ten now.' She declared. 'Nearly grown up.'

'Ha, not yet you're not.' I told her.

'Enjoy being little. It doesn't last very long.' Jack said kindly

'But I'm always little. I'm the youngest so everyone treats me like a baby!' She complained.

'No we don't!' I argued.

'Then why can't I go to school like Robbie!'

She'd brought up this argument many times. And we still could only tell her the same thing. That there wasn't anywhere for her to go. Because the world was unjust, and going to school was a privilege reserved only for wealthy boys. As frustrating as it was, it was all we could tell her.

'Gwen!' I warned her, 'We've been over this.'

'If you let me have a nice dress for your wedding, I'll behave.' She cooed sweetly. Unfortunately, she was now old enough to learn how to get things her own way. And while at present, it wasn't more than a new dress or some sweets, I knew that she'd eventually learn how to outwit us all.

'If she gets a new dress, then I demand one too!' Clara added.

'You demand one?' I asked stunned.

'Yes. That what you get for running off in the middle of the night to your long lost love without telling me!' She cried. 'I had to hear about it the next morning from Alexander, and you know how bad he is at telling things romantically! Honestly Scarlett, how you put up with him, I'll never understand.'

'He can be romantic when he wants to be.' Scarlett replied.

'Oh no. I can't take much more of this!' Bea groaned. 'One couple was bad, but this!'

Scarlett stepped in front of her sister, before offering her hand to Jack.

'I apologise for my sister. You must be the famous Jack.' She said as way of introduction.

Jack shook her hand politely.

'I'm presuming you are Scarlett? Alexander's wife.'

She nodded, and Bianca coughed rather loudly behind her.

'Why is it she's always known as Alexander's wife, before my sister. I was her sister long before she got married.' Bea complained.

'Yes, but Alexander hasn't been complaining all day and pretending to throw up to irritate us.' Jack joked.

'Ah! Finally, someone who won't put up with you!' Scarlett beamed at Jack. 'You'll fit right in. Welcome to the family.'

'Yes, welcome back Jack.' Alexander said, holding out his hand happily for Jack to shake. 'It's been a while.'

'It has rather. And I hear congratulations are in order.' Jack replied. 'I believe I missed a wedding.'

Alexander wrapped his arm around his wife.

'Six months ago. Happiest day of my life. Or at least until this little one decides to make an appearance.'

Scarlett pushed him playfully.

'Oh, I'm so easily replaced by our child!' Scarlett scoffed.

Alexander beamed, and pressed a soft kiss to her head.

'Never Scar.' He muttered.

'Someone save me please!' Bianca begged, looking around. 'Daniel, you're not going to go all mushy on us are you?'

'He's the one desperate to meet girls at balls and parties.' I pointed out.

'Yes, but he's not romantic.' Bea argued. 'Daniel, I forbid you to abandon normal sane conversion for romance. Otherwise, I will go insane.'

I couldn't help but smile knowingly. Bea might be protesting all the couple around her, with her loud objections and pretend vomiting. But I knew that something was brewing between her and Jaqueline. I'd watched the two of them at evening, once we had returned after seeing Ella's children. And I knew that she certainly didn't object to romance. Most likely, she was trying to throw everyone else off the scent of what might be happening with her and Jaqueline. We lived in a world where that sort of thing was not common, or well looked upon. But none of us held any objections, or at least…I didn't think anyone did. Maybe she was just trying to be careful.

'Why is it me that has to be the sane one?' Daniel asked.

'I need someone, anyone! Marion's betrothed, and these two are married, and Clara's not going to be unromantic-'

'Never!' Clara interrupted.

'So that leaves you.' Bea finished.

'And me!' Gwen cried indignantly, making us all turn.

Bea laughed.

'Yes, alright, I'll have Gwen to keep me sane.' She declared. 'Are you up to the task?'

'Just until I'm grown up, and can go to Balls and Parties!' Gwen negotiated. 'Then Richard will be home from school, and he can talk to you about battles and mathematics, and books all day long!'

'Ah, heaven! Logic and reason!' Bianca sighed.

'But you have to put up with us first.' I noted. Without looking, I hooked my arm through Jack's, 'And we're not going anywhere.'

'No, no we're not.' He agreed.

'So, when's the wedding?' Clara asked excitedly. 'Do I actually get a chance to plan this one?'

'Whenever Marion wants it.' Jack admitted.

I beamed at him, knowing I had him completely wrapped around my finger, and he was happy to be there.

'As soon as possible.' I declared.

Clara gasped. 'Not tonight! Not again.'

I shook my head. 'How long then?'

'Hmmm. If we want everything done properly…how long would it take to order new dresses?'

'If we ask Amelia now, maybe a week or so?'

'Then how about next week!' She declared.

I glanced up to Jack.

'You said she'd insist on two.' He mumbled under his breath, smiling.

'Do you want to wait two weeks?'

'Certainly not.' He muttered. 'A week sounded perfect.' He told Clara. But before anyone could say anything, before any words of congratulations could be uttered; Clara grabbed the two of us and proceeded to drag us into the house.

'Come on. Too much to do, too little time to do it in.' She announced.

And that was that.

The rest of the day went by so quickly, I barely had another spare moment with Jack. Between Clara's insistence on wedding planning, attempting to sort out the living situation for my family, and explaining what exactly had happened in the last few days to them, it was night time before I knew it.

We had managed to fit everyone, just. Jack agreed to give Daniel somewhere to sleep at his mother's house. The cottage Bea and I were staying in had two bedrooms. Before, we'd had the luxury of a bedroom each, but we gave that up so that Gwen and Clara could use the other room. Which left Alexander and Scarlett to rent a room at the Inn. What we were going to do when the boys arrived from school was beyond me.

So, we all made our way to bed, Clara muttering wedding plans under her breath. I was sharing a bed with Bea. Which shouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact I knew she was an extremely light sleeper. Which meant if a branch so much as snapped off the tree outside, I would no doubt be getting a sudden wake-up call, such as a punch to my side.

But as we lay there in the dark, side by side, I couldn't help my mind from wandering.

Although it had been just us last night, and on the journey to Milton, we still hadn't really talked. I'd been to occupied with my own head. And now that everything had calmed down a little, I could actually talk to her.

'Bea?' I whispered.

'What?' She groaned, clearly she'd been attempting to sleep.

'Sorry, are you sleeping?'

'Not any more I'm not.'

I turned over in bed a little so I could attempt to make her out through the darkness of the room.

'Do you mind if I ask you something?'

'Depends what it is.' She sighed, also shifting in bed. 'Although, that's never stopped you from asking before.'

I huffed a small laugh.

'Why,' I asked as seriously as I could. 'Did you end…things with Antony? Truly why?'

Bea turned so she was facing the ceiling.

'I told you. I just…I just didn't see any future with him.'

'But why?'

'I don't know Arry!' She sighed. 'I'm not like you, with my perfect future all planned out.'

'My what?' I argued. 'What part of my life has been planned out? You think my idea of my life was to be widowed at Twenty, and end up in a war camp to support an outlaw I met by chance on the road.'

'Well, not that part, clearly.'

'So what part?'

'Your future with Jack. That part had been planned out a long time ago, and now it's happening.' She explained. 'And for you, you've probably known that was how it was going to end up like this. Getting married was always the next step. Pre-curse clearly.'

She sighed.

'But…I don't know. I can…I just never saw myself married to Antony. It's just…The idea never appealed to me. And especially, after all I've fought for…I don't want to give that up and become the wife who stands by her husband's side. I was the one who beat Nerissa's curse. I was the one who survived living as an outlaw all those years. I guess, I didn't want that to disappear, because you know it will if there's a new Duke. Why do you think Nerissa never remarried?'

'But you're not Nerissa. You're nothing like that monster.'

'I'd like to think so. I'll never understand everything she did, but I do understand that getting married would mean giving up at least part of my power. Intentionally, or unintentionally.'

'But that isn't all of it. Is it?' I pried.

'What are you trying to imply? Just get to the point, I want to go to sleep.'

'What exactly is going on with you and Jaqueline?' I blurted out, unable to stop myself.

Bianca froze; I couldn't see it, but felt the bed shift as the muscle in her limbs tightened.

'Nothing. She's…She's just nice to talk to.' Bea muttered.

'Alright, you have to do better than that.' I argued. 'You forget I was her servant, however briefly. And unless another person has possessed her, she is not a talkative person. At all.'

I might not have seen Jaqueline recently, but I knew that much. She was nice, but painfully shy. And if she had come out of her shell, then that was clearly a good thing. But I'd also spoken to Ella. She'd improved, but not by that much. My reach when it came to gossip was far. There were definite advantages with having Ella, Isabelle and Amelia back in my life; I seemed to have a way to find out everything I wanted to know.

Bea fell silent.

'Do you…like her?' I asked, unsure of exactly how to proceed. I'd never had this sort of conversation with anyone before.

'Like her? As someone who might be my friend one day?' Bea replied, clearly trying to avoid answering.

'You know what I mean.'

'Oh no I certainly don't.'

'Do you like her, romantically?'

'What sort of a question is that?'

'A direct one, for someone who is clearly stalling for time.' I huffed.

'I am not!'

'Yes you are!'

'How dare you accuse your Duchess of lying.'

'Says the same Duchess who didn't tell me her real name for two years.' I pointed out.

Bea huffed a sigh, and shifted so she was staring at the ceiling.

'I'm just interested.' I told her. 'You seem to know everything that's happening with my romance. I just want to know yours. And make sure you're happy.'

'I don't know everything.' Bea said. 'You still won't say what happened in Rault.'

Thankful for the darkness, I felt the blood rush to my face.

'I told you! I found him in the clearing, and we didn't have time to get back, so we stayed there.'

'Do you honestly expect me to believe that two betrothed people, who had been separated for nearly two years, endured curses and suffering, were left alone in a house together…and nothing happened but sleep?' She asked. 'How stupid do you think I am?'

'So what if something did happen? Would that be so bad?'

'No,' She clarified. 'Of course not. But not telling me about it is a very bad thing.'

'You tell me first, and then maybe I'll tell you.'

'How is that fair?'

'Those are the terms I'm offering you. I never said anything about fair.' I reasoned.

Bea fell silent, clearly unable to formulate a witty response quick enough.

'How long have you known?' I asked her, in a softer voice. I wasn't about to argue her into confessing. No one could get anything out of her that she did not want to tell.

And, I knew it was selfish, but part of me did want to know. There was likely a very good reason she wasn't telling me anything. But I was too stubborn for my own good.

'I don't know…a while I think.' She finally confided.

'So,' I began slowly, 'Why did you go with Antony?'

She suddenly sat up.

'Wait, what do you think I am?' She asked shocked.

Stunned, I shrugged.

'I thought…that you like…Jaqueline?' I replied, now completely unsure. 'Someone who likes women?'

Bea shook her head.

'You know, it possible to like people of both genders. It doesn't have to be just one or the other.'

The thought clanged through me.

I'd never even considered…that.

People like Bea never lived out in the open. We'd only heard of people like that through village gossip over the years. I hardly knew more about them than Unicorns and Giants.

I didn't know that some people preferred… not just one gender. Never even heard of someone like that being uttered in the quiet whispers of the streets.

'Oh.' Was the only sound I was able to utter.

'Did you think I just liked women?' Bea asked, her voice lighter with almost laughter.

'Well, yes.' I admitted. 'I just thought that was why…'

'Why I gave up with Antony?' Bea finished my sentence. 'No, not entirely. Maybe part of the reason was, yes. But I really don't think I'm the marrying kind. Too much effort. And I think I would be bored of Antony in a few months anyway.'

I slumped back into bed.

'Well, I suppose that's that mystery solved.' I mumbled.

Bea too, fell back against the pillows, and we both stared up at the ceiling for a short while.

'What are you thinking?' She asked quietly, after a prolonged silence.

'Thinking about what?'

'About me.'

I turned my head towards her.

Despite the dark, I could see that her brow was furrowed. She only ever did that when she was worried about something.

'What do you mean about you?' I inquired.

Bea sighed.

'Now you know. I don't want to wake up tomorrow to everything being awkward.'

At that, I fully turned to face her.

'Why on earth would it be awkward?'

'Because…because I know how the world treats people like me. Why I've kept this a secret.'

I reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

'Do you honestly think that anything is going to change between us?' I asked. 'I've stood by you through robbery, running from guards, faerie curses, your behaviour towards my brother when you found out about his engagement, a war camp, death itself, and now as a Duchess with all that bloody paperwork. And you think I give two hoots about who you might find attractive? Yes, clearly that is where I draw the line.' I told her sarcastically.

She let out a huff, which might have been a laugh or a sigh.

'Yes, I thought the paperwork would break you.' She joked.

'It almost did. I was a hair's width away from giving up on you all together.' I teased.

We then fell back into silence.

'In seriousness though,' I said after a while. 'I honestly don't care who makes you happy. As long as they do.'

I could feel Bea move, or hear her speak. I wasn't sure if she was shocked, or stunned, or simply asleep. So, I turned back over in the bed.

Silence descended once more, and I closed my exhausted eyes.

'Thank you Arry.' Came a small voice in the dark. A voice that brought a smile to my face, just as I slipped back of into the oblivion of sleep.

* * *

When I awoke, it was still pitch black outside.

Dawn must have still be hours away, especially this close to winter. No lights from the surrounding houses, no noise outside from drunken men stumbling home in the early hours of the morning. It must have been well past midnight then.

But all of this could wait, because I had one thought, and one thought only.

Which was how desperately I needed to relieve myself.

I knew I shouldn't have had all those cups of tea throughout the day while we were planning the wedding. The result was forcing me to clench my legs tightly together, as I grabbed my shawl from the chair in the corner, and as quietly and softly as I could, rose from the bed, in some attempt to not wake Bea.

Which, to my utter shock, I actually didn't.

Bianca slept soundly.

That was odd. She was usually the lightest sleeper I'd ever known. Maybe all this time in the palace had done her some good, and she was now able to sleep without fear of being captured or killed.

She deserved that. After everything she had gone through. She deserved peace and quiet.

But, the pressing need in my bladder forced me out of the room.

Wrapping the shawl tighter around myself, I opened the door into the freezing cold night. Unfortunately, this tiny cottage didn't have the advantage of indoor chamber pots like the Palace. It was outside in the garden, or nothing. There hadn't been time to build a shed or something similar yet. For now, it would do.

After a few moments of shifting my clothing in the dark, I was finished, and turned back towards the house; unable to stop shivering.

One foot, then the other. All I could think about was how warm my bed was going to be when I got back in it. Warm, dry. My eyes would finally rest.

'Marion Brown.'

A voice from the dark.

I spun, startled by the sudden noise in the silence. There had been no one there before. Or at least, no one I had seen.

But, only darkness greeted me.

Utter black.

And not a person in sight.

I turned again. There was no one.

Maybe I was imagining things. The dark night and cold wind were playing tricks with my mind. The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, making it almost impossible to see two feet in front of me.

'Hello?' I asked, my voice trembling from the cold.

Light erupted from behind me. I jumped back before I had time to blink.

Run. Fire.

The first instinct flew through my head.

Get away from it.

My heart pounded against my chest; whilst my legs shook and feet moved without my head making any decision.

'Marion?' The voice sounded again.

I froze. Even my heart seemed to stop.

There was someone behind me.

Someone I did not recognise…but someone who clearly recognised me.

The glowing light shone, almost pulsing behind me. Not fire, something else entirely.

I still wanted to run. To get away from it. But I knew I wouldn't make it to the door before this person caught up to me.

Painfully slowly, my hands still shaking with either fear or cold…I turned.

The moment my eyes saw the light, I stepped away.

Perched on the wooden slat of the fence, sat an unfamiliar young man.

But, what was familiar, was the golden streams of light that seemed to be flowing from his fingers.

The light of magic.

Fae magic.

No.

Not again.

Please no, never again.

I stumbled back a few more steps, turning back to the house. I'd hardly looked at the faerie, but I didn't care.

I had to get away.

No more curses.

No more silence.

I'd only just been reunited with Jack; they couldn't part us again. I wasn't going to let that happen. He wouldn't harm my family; he wouldn't harm my friends.

'Please wait.' He cried, his voice echoing in the dark.

But I didn't stop.

Legs shaking, I ran.

'Please Miss Brown, I just want to talk.'

I didn't care that he had used the wrong name. I was no interested in anything he had to say.

'No!' I cried, almost reaching the front door, my breath coming in pants now. Safe. I would be safe behind the door. I had to be.

Reaching for the door, my hands shaking, I felt like I was going to be sick.

Not again.

I couldn't endure it all again.

Suddenly, the light shot out from behind me. I flinched, just as the light wrapped its way tightly around the door handle.

I didn't have to try it to know that it was locked. I was not getting in the house unless this faerie allowed me too.

Frantically, I turned.

And found myself faced to face with the young fae.

'Shh.' He whispered, as I stumbled backwards into the door.

'No.' I whispered, my voice barely more than a sob.

'I only want to talk; I mean you no harm.' He said quietly. His voice seemed to carry a strange other-worldly lilt to it.

Just like the other fae had. Exactly the same.

I glanced to see his face in the dim light of the golden magic. His pointed ears stood out more than they had done on the other fae. But he'd had a long tangled beard and mass of hair to hide them. This silver haired fae had short, tied back hair.

But the bright golden eyes were unmistakable.

The eyes I knew all too well as those of danger.

'Let me go.' I begged. 'Leave us alone.'

'I will. I give you my word. The moment our conversation ends, you'll never see me again. Or any of my kind.' He said.

'Then our conversation is at an end.' I told him, in as confident a voice as I could muster.

'Please Miss Brown, I only want to talk.'

'I'm not Miss Brown!' I snapped.

He seemed stunned by that, cocking his head to the side a little. The gesture reminded me of a bird.

'But you are Marion Brown?' He asked.

'I used to be. Before my marriage.' I informed him, hoping that he would disappear, or I would wake to find all this a dream.

He sighed.

'It's still you I need to talk to. I made a promise.'

'I don't care about your kind's promises.' I spat. 'Leave us be, you've already done enough damage.'

'You may think that, but we saved you all from more damage.' He told me, sadly.

'How could you have possibly?' I argued. 'Your kind took my voice! You tore my betrothed away from me, and locked him in a castle for nearly two years! You turned my family into animals! You tried to steal a child from a new mother, on two occasions that I know of!'

'Not me. None of that was me, or my choice.'

'I never said you! Your kind!'

'You would condemn me for the actions of my people? Should I condemn you for the wars humans have started? The murders? The thefts?' He reasoned, staring me down.

I stopped.

I had no response to that.

This faerie, may have been entirely innocent of what others had done. And here I was, blaming him for all of it.

'You may however, blame my uncle.' He admitted.

Lifting his hand slowly, he made more golden light appear in his hand; swirling and twirling around and through his fingers.

'I believe you recognise this?' He asked quietly.

I could only nod; still stunned into silence.

'He was killed last year. By one of your kind.' He told me. Shame settled in the bottom of my stomach. 'Not that he didn't deserve it. Not after what he did to that girl. And to you.'

Then, it suddenly made sense.

His uncle…was the Fae. The one who had cursed my family. The one who had kept Jack in that Castle. The one who had tried to steal Annette's child.

'You knew him?' I asked, unable to keep the hatred from my voice.

'Yes. Very well.' He told me. 'As you can see, I was his heir. His magic transferred to me upon his death. The death he knew was coming.'

'Let me go. Please.' I begged. Fear had consumed me once more. This fae had known him. His nephew; who was to say he didn't think the same way as his uncle?

'He knew he was going to die. And he made me promise to tell you everything when the time was right. That is why I am here, Miss Brown. I swore to tell you what he told me. And then I will let you go, I vow to you.'

My hands were still shaking as he spoke.

I wasn't sure I wanted to hear what the Fae had to say. I simply wanted to scream, wake Bea up, and get her to frighten him away. I glanced towards the window that I knew Bea was fast asleep behind.

The fae started to laugh.

'She won't wake up, if that's what you're thinking.' He said. 'Everyone in that house is deaf to your cries.'

'Just let me go.' I asked again.

'Please,' He told me, 'Just let me do what I came here to do. Then, my uncle can finally rest in peace. After all he did, he deserved that.'

'After what he did?' I asked astonished. 'He was cruel, evil and vile. He tried to take a new-born child from its mother! I missed out on so much time with my husband because of him, he-'

'You only had a husband because of him!' The faerie shouted.

'James loved me!'

'How can you be so blind?' The faerie cried. 'My uncle orchestrated the whole thing! The curse, your silence, the chance meeting in the glade, the hunter! He planned everything.'

Everything stopped.

There were no thoughts in my head. No beating in my chest. Not even fear crept through my veins.

It was…It was planned?

James? Our wedding?

It was planned!

How?

Why?

What!

'Please, just let me explain. I ask for a few minutes of your time, and I promise you that you will never see me or my kind again. Just let me speak.'

Utterly stunned, I nodded.

How?

I didn't understand anything anymore.

Nothing made sense.

'Please, sit.' The fae told me, gesturing to a small bench by the side of the house.

Without thinking, I slowly stumbled over to it, wrapping my shawl tightly around me against the cold.

'Oh, allow me.' He said, the ribbons on light growing rapidly through his fingers. I instinctively flinched away from it, but once the magic touched the hem of my shawl, I felt warmth course through me.

Maybe all magic wasn't so bad.

The Faerie himself didn't sit.

Instead, he towered above me, standing several feet away from the bench, pacing.

'This is not my story. This is only what he relayed to me. I don't know all the details, just the facts of the events. So if I get something wrong, I apologise.'

He sighed.

'This all began about five or six years ago. Whenever Duchess Nerissa Knox poisoned her husband and framed her stepdaughter for the crime. We knew it was coming, but no one had quite seen beyond that point. But once we could foretell the consequences, it was decided that something had to be done.'

I sat stunned.

This was all to do with Bea? And Nerissa?

How on earth did that have anything to do with me?

'I thought you said this was about James?' I asked

'It is. But to explain everything, you need to know why things happened.' He told me.

I nodded, and remained silent.

'The consequences of Nerissa's rise to power were far beyond anything we could have imagined. My uncle, and the entire council, debated and explored every options for months. To no avail. However, then you entered the picture.'

'Me?'

He nodded solemnly.

'Yes. You happened to stumble across Bianca Knox in the woods that day. That was utterly by chance, but it gave my uncle an idea. A chance to change the events yet to come.'

'So, it is true then. Your kind knows about the future?' I asked.

'Don't ask for what you don't want to know. It's both a blessing and a curse. My uncle was tormented for months by the knowledge of his own imminent death.'

'Then why didn't he just change it then? If you all can change what is yet to come.'

The faerie shook his head sadly.

'There are rules. Some things we can change, others we can't. With humans, it's easier to manipulate the strings of your lives. With the fae…generally the consequences of avoiding something, are worse than the fate itself. And with my uncle; he lived a long life. He knew, deep down, that it was his time.'

The corners of his mouth turned up a little.

'He was amazingly intelligent. Always found a way, despite whatever circumstances came his way. He always made it better; even if the humans he was manipulating did not know it at the time. Many hated him, because they never knew what he really did.'

'So, how does losing my betrothed and erasing him from my memory make everything better?' I demanded impatiently.

'That was only a small part. It was initially meant as a lesson for Lord Weston. He needed to learn the value of those around him, especially those less fortunate than himself. In my uncle's notes, he was originally going to leave him in that castle alone; force him to learn how to take care of himself. He tried once, even enslaved him for a week. But that mirror worked too well on him.'

I straightened at once.

'Did you…did you say mirror?' I asked amazed.

'Yes. I believe you know it. Nerissa used to keep it hidden in her chambers.'

'Weston used that mirror?'

'That is correct. Turned him into a nasty piece of work. Didn't you ever wonder why he was rather rude and vicious?'

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Weston had used the mirror.

'I…I never really thought about it. I just thought he was always like that.' I admitted.

'True, he had never been the most polite person to walk the earth. The mirror only intensified what was already there.'

The words he was saying, simply didn't want to gather in my mind.

How on earth had he known about the mirror? How had he used it?

Then, it struck me.

That one scrap of paper.

Lord Edward had brought a scrap of paper from the Faerie's room to give us a way into the palace.

And what name had been scribbled in the corner?

How had I missed it?

 ** _Weston._**

I should have known for weeks.

The fae had told us by leaving his name on the map. He must have been the one to take Weston to the mirror.

Oh stars…did Isabelle know?

If Weston had used the mirror, what if he turned out like Nerissa? Heartless, cold and cruel.

Had Isabelle just fallen in love with a monster?

Should I tell her? What did I say?

Was I supposed to just walk up to her house and tell her that a strange faerie appeared to me in the middle of the night and told me that her 'lover' might have a piece of his soul missing. They'd lock me away for madness.

But I couldn't let her go on without knowing.

'Do you know…if he's told anyone?' I asked hesitantly.

'If you are concerned for your friend, do not be. She is aware. In fact, I think your betrothed also knows.'

'Jack knows?'

'As I am aware, I believe Lord Weston confided in everyone in the castle, when he was attempting to explain why they were all trapped there. He blamed himself for the punishment inflicted on everyone.'

I just couldn't believe it.

Jack hadn't told me?

But, I did realise that it was not the most usual thing to bring up in conversation. I could just see him casually mentioning 'Oh, did you know that Weston used a magic mirror once, and brought the whole curse down upon us all? But we don't know for certain.'

I wouldn't have believed him. Part of me still didn't believe this faerie.

'But what has any of this got to do with me?' I asked.

'My uncle spent months perfecting the solution. To get you all in the right place at the right time. But, unfortunately, that meant your separation from your betrothed…Jack, I believe?'

'I don't understand! How could a solution mean forcing me and Jack apart?' I cried.

'Because you are rather unique. You possess two true loves. And you were about to marry the wrong one.'

Blood boiled in my veins.

'What on earth gives you the right to tell me which man I was supposed to marry?' I shouted. 'Jack is not the wrong one! How dare you!'

'He was the lowborn one. And I realise this will not sound good, but you were required to marry the highborn one. The one with a title.'

'Required?' I scoffed, unable to comprehend what I was hearing. Rage flooded me. 'I am required to marry whoever I choose.'

The faerie shook his head.

'You should have been. But for the plan to work, you needed to be connected with the highborn one. You needed to attend that celebration.'

'What celebration?'

'Can I please finish explaining without an interruption every five seconds!' The faerie snapped.

I fell silent immediately, blood rushing to my face with shame.

He was trying to tell me, and I wasn't helping.

'Thank you!' He sighed. 'Now, where was I? Yes, you had met Bianca on the road, and it was found that my uncle could use the advantage you had of two true loves. He tried his best not to intervene until absolutely necessary. But then, you went and got yourself engaged.'

He held up his hands in defeat, as if he knew I was about to interrupt.

'You couldn't have known; it's not your fault. But it did complicate matters. Unfortunately, it became clear that there was going to be no way to separate you, without some drastic measure. Killing him seemed a little too extreme, but luckily, he worked for Weston, and my uncle found a way to include him in the curse.'

'You were going to kill Jack?' I whispered. My heart had almost stopped when I heard that.

They had been thinking of killing Jack…because of me!

No, no…they can't have.

'Your betrothed was never in danger. It only would have come to that if absolutely necessary. But it was vital that you forgot all about him. Otherwise, you would have found a way to free him. And you certainly wouldn't have married the other one…James, was it?

I could only nod.

'The next part of the plan was for you to be reunited with your family. Foreseeing deaths is no pleasant matter, but he knew of your father's imminent passing, and timed the curse on the castle around that. Before you ask, no. Your father's death was not our doing. My uncle simply used the event as part of his plan. He hid for weeks in that manor house, waiting for the opportunity to confront you.'

'Confront me?'

The faerie sighed.

'Unfortunately for you, the next part of the plan relied on you losing your safety. You needed to be in a vulnerable position. A place where you would accept the help offered to you. And the easiest way to do that was to get to your family. That was why the curse was placed on them.'

I was about to be sick.

They needed to get to me. And they did that…by punishing my family. Nothing about stealing a rose, or whatever nonsense he had told us at the time.

What had they done? Why were they involved?

What on earth had they done to deserve that?

Punish me, torment me…they could have done whatever they wanted to me.

But instead, they used my family.

'The idea was to get you out of the village, and straight into James's path. But you were clever, and remembered that cottage. The whole point was to make you vulnerable, and you instantly found a safe place to hide your family. It really irritated my uncle. It took days to finally get you and James in the same place, but by then you had already made yourself safe. And the idea of marriage was far from his mind, which also made everything more complicated. So, my uncle had to wait until you had started courting, to finally release the hunter from the spell that had been placed over him.'

'Spell, what spell?'

I tried my best to keep my voice steady, but in truth, there was a rather uncomfortable lump sat in my throat that wouldn't move.

James had been manipulated into marrying me.

And I had been manipulated too into marrying him.

It had all been a lie. Everything.

We had simply thought we'd been lucky enough to run into each other. But instead, there had been a faerie in charge of everything. We'd had no free choice in this at all.

If all this hadn't happened, would James have cared for me at all? Would he have died? If I hadn't been the cause of all of this, would he still be here now?

'The hunter had been kept away from the cottage for years. I'm sure you figured out the true identity of Rose's 'Aunts'. I was told you met them briefly.'

I nodded, blinking away tears.

'They took the lodge from him to use as a home to raise the princess in. Kept him under a spell to forget he owned the damn thing. My uncle had to ensure that he kept the spell working for a few more days after it broke, to give you and James enough time to begin courting. But when if couldn't wait much longer, he broke the spell, and the hunter came and threw you out. Right into James's arms, and his mad idea for a wedding. Just as was planned.'

'Planned?'

'You never would have agreed to it, had you not been penniless, homeless, grieving, and with an entire cursed family. He needed you to be desperate enough to accept him. Once you did, his work was done.'

'His work? Messing with my life, threatening my family, making us desperate and homeless?'

'You can judge all you want, but it was done for a very important purpose.'

'What? What was it? You've spoken a lot, and I still haven't heard a single explanation for anything. Just how you manipulated us all for no good reason!'

'It was for a good reason.' He argued.

'What possible reason could there be? None of this makes any sense!'

'The reason was that celebration that your friend hosted! At the Howard's palace on the 8th day of September last year.' He shouted.

'Ella's birthday? All of this was so that I could go to party?' I cried.

'Not you! This isn't all about you. You just were the pawn that helped us get everything in the right place.'

'Then why did I need to go to that party?'

The faerie sighed.

'You needed to marry the highborn one so you would get invited there. Your friend the Duchess doesn't possess the greatest brain in the world, but she is kind. While you were a lowborn, she wasn't going to invite you to anything. She was aware of the scorn you would endure from the other lords and ladies. Didn't you ever wonder why she never seemed to ask you to the palace?'

'I…I was there for her wedding. And her son's christening.' I reasoned.

But, I knew it to be true. Ella hadn't invited me to anything else. Not another birthday, not her wedding anniversary, nothing. At the time, I had reasoned that it was because I had lived in Milton and it was so far away.

She hadn't.

And if what this faerie said was correct, it was because she wanted to spare me from the gloating of the highborn ladies. Even after my marriage they still looked down on me. I could only imagine what they would have been like if I'd married Jack, a footman, initially. Maybe she had tried to spare me. She didn't always think things through.

'You might have been invited on other occasions, but it was vital that you were invited to that celebration.'

'But why? Was it so James would catch that horrid disease and die? Was that the plan, to kill him?'

'No! What do you think of us? We do not kill unless there is another way. Your husband's death was a tragic accident, nothing more. No faerie played a part of it.'

'Then why? Why that one occasion?' I demanded.

'Because it was the one and only time Duchess Nerissa Knox let the Lady Scarlett Knox leave the county. We needed to get you there…so she could meet your brother.'

My jaw dropped.

Alexander?

This was all about Alexander?

What?

How? How was this possible?

Jack had been cursed, because Alexander needed to be at Ella's birthday celebration?

'What?' I managed to breathe.

'We needed you at that celebration, to bring your brother. So their path's would cross. That single moment was what all the planning was for.'

'What?'

'Your brother needed to meet Lady Scarlett, so that they would begin their love affair, which would eventually lead her out of Nerissa's grasp. And most importantly, lead to the creation of the life currently residing in Scarlett's belly.'

The baby.

This had all been so the baby would exist.

'What?'

It was the only word I could think to utter.

'Perhaps it is easier if I show you…' He mused for a moment, before reaching out his hand to me.

I sat frozen, my mind spinning from what he had told me.

'Please? I don't want to be out here all night.' He asked. 'Just take my hand.'

My mind was still to dazed to even realise that I had instinctively lifted my hand; which he took. The golden ribbons of light began to encircle my wrist.

 _Suddenly, light broke before my eyes._

 _It was no longer the middle of the night._

 _But rather, a cloudy day. Sunlight tried it's best to break through the grey sullen clouds._

 _Clouds that started at the floor._

 _Those were no clouds._

 _No, that was smoke._

 _Smoke that had drifted so high and far it covered everything in sight. Smoke from fires littering the ground._

 _I glanced around._

 _And screamed._

 _There, right by my feet, lay a man. A man with skin like snow._

 _And a sword sticking through his chest._

 _The blood had long since stopped flowing. It had amalgamated, gathering in its own sick pool beneath him._

 _Hands shaking, I tried to move. To get away from the dead man._

 _Only to find another behind me. This one missing an eye, an arrow protruding from where his pupil had once been._

 _I was going to be sick._

 _Terror filled me._

 _For I knew exactly where I was._

 _I had to get out._

 _I was standing…in the middle of a battle field._

 _Dead men covered the ground, the soil beneath them soaking up more and more of their blood, until it became to saturated, and sat on top in vile, ever growing pools._

 _As far as my eyes could see, there were dead men everywhere._

 _In every direction._

 _I really was going to be sick._

 _Hundreds of men lay dead at my feet. How long had it gone on for? How many of these men left families behind to grieve?_

 _The pain had not left their faces, even in death. Several of the men's mouths were wide open in screams of pain or terror._

 _I wanted to run. To get as far away from this as possible._

 _The dead man next to me had his eyes wide open, almost staring at me. He was just…lifeless. A horrid void where some form of spark should be._

 _Seeing James dead had haunted me for months._

 _But at least he hadn't died like this. Bloody and violent; with someone taking his life from him by force._

 _How many of these men left behind widows, who would have sat waiting for news, and praying that their husbands would return safely?_

 _If James had died like this, it would have killed me as well._

 _'_ _Help!' I cried, unable to see a living person within miles._

 _'_ _HELP!'_

Blackness surrounded me.

I yelped back, withdrawing my hand from the faerie's.

He was still stood there, watching me as I tried to steady my breathing, and wait for the terror to fade.

'That…was the reason.' He told me softly.

'The reason?'

'The reason you had to suffer all those months.' He explained. 'It was vital that your brother Alexander met Scarlett. So all of that could be avoided.'

I sat up.

'How does Scarlett and Alexander's meeting stop any of that? That was a war!'

'Their meeting prevents it all. Or at least, their child does.'

'Stop being cryptic! Just tell me!' I demanded, my hands still shaking, my mind unable to comprehend what I had just seen.

'Your brother's child will one day become Duchess Bianca's heir. The Duchess will have no children herself, and so the title passes to the next of her kin, her niece.'

 _So the baby definitely is a girl_ , I thought.

'Without the meeting between your brother and his wife, Scarlett would never have had the courage to run away from the palace, and marry your brother. Instead, Nerissa would have ensured that Scarlett was married off to someone loyal to her. This man is cruel, and Scarlett would not have lived very long after the wedding ceremony.'

My heart almost broke for her.

Scarlett would have died, had she not met Alexander.

How could her own stepmother…

I had to stop myself.

This was the same woman who tried to kill Bianca. And threatened to kill Scarlett herself. Of course she would have easily married Scar off to some beast of a man, just to get her out of the way.

'With Scarlett gone, even if Bianca had taken back her power from Nerissa, she would have had no heir to pass the title onto upon her death. However, in every scenario, that never came to pass. After Scarlett's death, Bianca never succeeded in defeating Nerissa. In a few circumstances, she did try, only to be killed or narrowly escape death. But, most of the stories foretold that she would lose all hope after the death of her sister, and never attempt to fight her stepmother.'

He sighed.

'But in all these scenarios, Nerissa died without an heir. A power vacuum, with no one to fill it. Many would attempt to take it for themselves. And in every single circumstance, the outcome would lead to war amongst men wanting to take the title for themselves. The royal family too would also go into hiding, unable to protect themselves from bloodthirsty power-mad men. Once these men saw that the Dukedom was simply there for the taking, so was the entire country. Civil war broke out, and thousands upon thousands of men died for something they had no say in. That was what you saw. What we all saw.'

He twirled the magic through his fingers again.

'All that death, all that suffering. And it could have all been avoided by simply getting you and your brother in the right place at the right time. So tell me, what would you have done? If all that was required was the suffering of one family for a few months, to save thousands from death…can you really hate my uncle, and tell me that he chose wrong? Can you tell me he was unjust? That he was the monster you seem to think he was?' He asked.

I was utterly stunned.

Completely frozen.

All this time. Everything that had happened to me…was all to save those men.

To stop them dying on that damned field I had seen.

To prevent thousands of women become widows, orphans or brother-less.

And I had been complaining that he had done me wrong by cursing my family.

All these months, I had hated him. Cursed his name for what he did to me and my family.

And he had only been trying to help. To save Scarlett from death. To stop an entire bloody war.

All I'd had to do was stay silent for a few stupid months. That was it. No pain, no torment. Just silence. And I had treated it like a damned death sentence.

How could I have been so blind?

I'd never felt so ashamed of anything in my life.

 _'_ _You have suffered the most, to save the most.'_

That's what he had told me. Over a year ago.

The faerie had appeared to me in that dream, had told me this.

And he had asked for my forgiveness. Even all those months ago, he had said that one day I would understand.

Now, I did.

He'd been faced with an easy decision. Save thousands of lives, and let one woman and her family suffer for a little while; or save me a few tears, leading countless men to their deaths.

If I had been him, I knew exactly what I would have done.

I couldn't blame him for doing what was right.

In fact…I was certain that now; I could forgive him.

He had done what was best. For everyone. He did not deserve all the hate I had once held for him.

However…

'But, if all of this was to save lives; what was the purpose of kidnapping Lady Annette's son?' I asked.

That part didn't make much sense.

The faerie sighed deeply.

'My uncle faced his death bravely. None of us know what decides our fate for us, but for whatever reason exists, Lady Annette Knighton had been chosen to kill him. And as I said before, avoiding the planned outcome for our kind is next to impossible. The only issue was that Lady Annette is no killer. I've been told you've met the lady yourself; you know she wouldn't harm a fly if it came to it.'

'But why her?'

'That is the one question I do not have an answer for.' He told me honestly. 'Maybe Nature decided it, maybe a god somewhere, or simply destiny. We only interpret the visions; we do not know where they come from or what decides their narrative. We help where we can. That is all.'

'So, why her son?'

'How else do you make a mother kill? You threaten her child. It's not pleasant, but it's the most secure way to ensure the outcome.' He explained.

'He orchestrated his own death? All this time, he made it happen?'

The faerie nodded.

'As I said, our skill is both a gift and a curse. Once my uncle knew, there was no avoiding it. He knew he had to do what needed to be done. He'd lived too many years, seen what had happened to other fae; to know that a dagger in the back was better than the consequences. But he'd had a long and full life; he knew his time was ending.'

'He told me.' I mumbled. 'He appeared to me in a dream. There was something he said about his time coming to an end.'

'Yes, he said he had visited you. He felt like he owed you an explanation, after what he had put you through. But he knew that you wouldn't understand; not with the curse in place. That is why he sent me.'

I could only sit there.

All this time, he knew.

He knew he was going to die, and he made it all happen. Whilst still trying to save thousands of men from death.

And I had hated him for what he did.

What sort of monster did that make me?

'He sent me to you, because by this point, he had realised that the curse was not going to be broken before his death. Everything had been sorted, and the only thing he regretted was how he treated both you and Annette. He had the chance to apologise to her himself. But with you, he was forced to make arrangements. And once I got news that the curse had been broken, I made my way here, to fulfil my promise. I told you all he told me.'

He squared his shoulders.

'And now, my task is done. My uncle can finally rest in peace. And my vow to you also stands. You will never see or hear from me, or any of my kind ever again.'

I sat motionless.

What had I done?

He had only done what he thought was best, and I…I had despised him for it.

I'd wished him dead, had almost rejoiced when I heard he had been killed.

And all this time, he had been saving us all from a disaster of a future.

I'd never felt so ashamed of anything in my entire life.

If only I had known. I would have gladly gone through my silence if I had known that my trial would have led to a stable and secure future.

Only a few months of silence. I'd endured it for my family, I would have easily endured it to save Alexander, Daniel or any of my brothers from being killed in a war.

This image of that dead man still haunted me; his blood running over his pale flesh, the pain evident in his still face.

I hated him, because he was trying to avoid that. My whining, my complaining, might as well have been supporting the war.

'Are you alright?' The faerie asked me.

I slowly shrugged.

'I..I think I will be. It's…It's a lot… to take in' I muttered.

'The truth can be difficult sometimes. I've seen it.'

'He…he was trying to help.'

The faerie nodded.

'I have done what I can.' He told me. 'The sun will rise in less than an hour, and I must get back. I wish you congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and good luck in all your future endeavours.'

'Do you know how they will turn out?'

'Yes.'

'So, is the luck, because I need it?'

He smiled a little, and shook his head.

'No, you won't need good luck. Your days to come are bright, Miss Brown.'

I glanced up to him.

'Then I wish you good luck.' I told him. 'For your future.'

The corner of his mouth perked up, just a little.

'Thank you.'

He turned, and began to walk away, into the black of the night.

'Wait!' I cried.

He stopped, and turned his head over his shoulder.

'I'm sorry for your loss.' I told him.

Then, I took a deep breath.

'And…Thank you.' I said, 'Thank you for telling me.'

'It was what he wanted. You're welcome Miss Brown.'

And with that, he turned again, and slowly walked away; the light fading with each passing step.

Leaving me, sat in the darkness.

The warmth from my shawl still radiated though. I wrapped it tighter around myself.

He had left me with a lot of questions. Questions for myself.

The fae had done what they could to avoid a horrific future. And I had been the pawn they had used to stop it.

I'd never thought of myself as particularly important. Never the great heroes of destiny that were written about in stories.

I was simply a girl from a small village, born to a low born family, with dreams of better things, but no expectations. But, what I thought had only been luck, was in fact the manipulations of the fae.

I'd become a lady, because of them.

I'd had the chance to marry James, because of them.

And…through my trials and challenges; I'd saved thousands of people from death.

I just couldn't wrap my head around it.

So, I sat there.

Attempting to figure out what I felt, or thought. Sat on a tiny, wooden bench, the night wind flowing past me. I sat and I thought.

I hardly noticed the time passing me by, until the garden around me became visible. The rising sun had illuminated the sky to a deep blue. The blackness lessening by the second.

Once the first golden rays of sun began to hit the treetops, I glanced up.

Despite everything I had learned, everything he had told me.

It was going to be a beautiful day.

A beautiful future.

And I was going to be alright.

It was going to be…good.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five.**

Despite the fact it was the middle of November, the following day was rather pleasant. A little cold perhaps, but the sun was shining.

Bianca found me later on, still sitting on the bench in my nightgown. She told me that she'd initially thought I escaped in the middle of the night to find Jack, but once she saw my expression, she knew something was up.

And in true Bea fashion… she wouldn't stop pestering me until I told her everything.

It took almost an hour to talk it through with her. Just saying it out loud made it all feel more real.

Everything that had happened to be me had been for a reason. Everything I had previously thought to be true; had been luck…was all manipulations.

I'd sobbed on Bianca's shoulder as I thought about James. I thought I'd fallen in love with him freely. That, despite everything I had suffered, I'd had the slightest amount of control over that one detail. It had all been planned. I was simply a pawn in someone else's game.

I realised of course that this was silly.

Of all the things the faerie had told me, that was not the part to dwell on.

Bea told me that I should be focusing on the fact that my actions had saved thousands of people, even if I hadn't known it at the time. I might have done very little, other than being moved into place, but I'd still endured that pain and suffering; that was the price paid for those men's lives.

It felt more like reality than it ever had, but it still didn't feel like it was all possible. Part of me knew deep down that it was true; even though it sounded utterly insane to speak.

Bianca herself, was a little disturbed when I told her everything.

How everything had been because Nerissa had stolen power. And how everything was only avoided because she succeeded in overthrowing her. At first, it only served to make her feel more guilty for running away. She argued that if she had only stayed and challenged her stepmother then, or had thought of a way to expose the truth, then none of this would have happened. I would never have been a part of any of it. Jack wouldn't have been cursed, and my family would never have been cursed either. I would have happily married Jack; never any the wiser.

But I shook my head at that.

While it was true that I would have married Jack…I couldn't bring myself to regret my time with James. Despite what had happened, and the fact that none of it was my own free will; I still loved him, and wouldn't have traded those few months I had for anything in the world.

Those few months made me who I was that day. It was painful, and sorrowful. But I had known true happiness as well.

'Urgh, am I going to have to put up with these romantic speeches all the time in the future?' She complained.

'Not the entire time. But there will be a few, yes.' I told her.

Once Gwen had woken (Clara, as predictable as ever; slept until well into the morning…), there was no avoiding re-entering the cottage. Both Bea and I decided it was probably best not to tell the others. At least not yet. Not until we could both wrap our own heads around it. All my siblings had appeared to have moved on, they didn't stay up late at night questioning why we were all put through so much suffering. I needed answers…I wasn't so sure they did.

At some point, I imagined the truth would come out. If they asked me, I wasn't going to lie to them. There had already been enough deception without me adding to the list. However, Gwen was only ten years old. The concept of a war, and the violence that might have occurred, I feared would still be a little beyond her.

And, as much as I hated to admit it, I was scared too.

The faerie had promised me that I would never see his kind again. But what if something changed? What if another Nerissa took power, and something like this happened again? We might have been preventing thousands of deaths, but I still was not overly fond of the idea that there was someone out there completely able to manipulate me and the lives of my family. I didn't want to worry them for no reason.

Alexander, in particular, seemed not to notice much outside Scarlett. It was really quite sweet, but he no longer seemed interested in going over the events of the past year. None of my siblings really talked about the curse. It was a few months of their lives that they got through, and had no desire to visit again.

I supposed the only reason I wanted answers was because of what I had lost in James. And Bianca wanted to know about Nerissa.

Even though Scarlett would also be interested in knowing about Nerissa, we both guessed that if she knew what her daughter would become, then that would maybe not be the best idea in the world.

As much as Bianca had turned out to be an amazing Duchess, she'd known that was her destiny from the moment she had been born. The pressure to live a certain life, the lessons and judgments that would be made on her niece… Bea didn't want to force that on the poor child. Nearly every waking moment, Bea claimed she had to spend with a governess or tutor, regardless of the fact that she had probably learned more about the people she would be governing in the several years she spent as an outlaw, not in lessons.

And while girls like Gwen begged for the chance to go to school and be educated, Bea's upbringing seemed a little extreme. None of it was learning because she was interested; it was what she had to know to survive the court. She thought our niece would be far better suited learning about her fate later in life, and giving her the chance to enjoy her childhood while she could.

Bea eventually left later on the in morning to talk with Christopher and Weston. She had much to learn from Christopher, and as Lord Weston was officially one of her landowners, there were many things they had to sort out.

Whereas, I found myself almost falling down the path to Jack's house. I'd finally pulled myself around enough to get dressed, but everything the Faerie had said was still playing over and over again in my mind.

The horrid war, those men lying dead, the smoke that filled the air with the scent of death.

We had stopped that. Me and James.

And Jack had suffered for it. He'd been cursed and forgotten about because of me and what I had to do.

So when I saw him open the door after several minutes of incessant knocking, I practically jumped into his arms.

'Hello?' He whispered.

I simply clung to him tightly.

'Are you alright?' He asked, trying to pull back a little. But I wouldn't let him.

'No. I don't think I am.' I told him honestly.

'What happened?'

'Just a nightmare.' I told him. It might as well have been a nightmare. I might have preferred it that way, so I wouldn't have felt so cold this morning.

'A nightmare about what?' He asked softly.

I froze, unsure of what to tell him.

How did you explain to your betrothed that even though you adored him with all your heart, it turned out you were the reason he was locked away and forgotten about for nearly two years? That he'd only suffered because I'd been about to marry the wrong man. And that the Faerie that he hated with all his might was actually trying to prevent the slaughter of thousands of people.

'Nothing.' I ended up telling him. 'It just scared me, that's all.'

His arms tightened around me.

'It's alright. You're safe. It was just a dream.'

I snuggled my head into his neck.

How many times was I going to make him console me after a nightmare, or a long night? Poor Jack had only been free a few days, and I'd already made him deal with my 'Nightmares' twice.

'I know. I just needed to see you.' I told him.

'I'll always be right here. Or at least, for another six days. Then I'll be with you.' He said.

Six days.

That was how long until our wedding.

Closer that it had been before the curse. Even if neither of us said it out loud. After last time, we didn't want to bring any bad luck down on us.

Despite that, I knew I had no reason to worry.

The fae could see the future. And the faerie had said my days would be bright. That was as good as promise as I was likely to get.

It would be fine. It would all be alright.

I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

The faerie had shaken me more than I cared to admit.

Part of me was still questioning what was real. Had Jack only found me because he had been pointed on the right path? Was I in that glade by design?

What about Isabelle and Adam? Were they also manipulated? The faerie had gone as far as to curse Adam, but had he also made provision for Isabelle to find the castle? Had they also been tricked?

No.

Tricked was the wrong word for it.

They had put me in the right place at the right time, that much was certain. But tricked? All my feelings had been my own. Everything I felt was because that was truly felt, not because of what they said. That part had been me and me alone.

Maybe Isabelle and Adam were the same. They wouldn't have fallen in love any other way, despite the fact that they were destined to be true loves. Everything needed to be in the right situation for them to realise.

The faerie was right about one thing, if I'd known Jack was out there, I never would have looked twice at James. I was simply just not that sort of person. If they truly needed me to marry James, they did have to take drastic measures to separate Jack and myself.

'I know it was a dream.' I told him. 'It will be alright. It will.'

Jack nodded against my shoulder.

'Would a cup of tea help?' He asked.

At that, I did pull back.

'It always helps.'

He smiled.

'Be warned. My mother wants to know every detail of the planning. Prepare to be ambushed.' He whispered.

'I'm sure I'll manage.' I replied, as we entered the house.

The rest of the day disappeared in a blur after that. Once I'd had breakfast with Jack, his mother, and Daniel (who was staying with them), it was straight back to the house, to a very impatient Clara. She practically dragged us to the dress shop.

Amelia and Madam Cartwright were not surprised to see us though. I think Amelia would have guessed that Jack and I would be announcing our revived engagement. I hadn't seen her though, since the castle on the day the curse broke.

She was clearly very eager to find out what had happened, but Madam Cartwright insisted that she should be working. However, there was no rule against talking while measuring and sewing.

It seemed like a good idea at first…

Until Clara and Amelia were properly introduced. They'd never met before.

And for good reason.

My sister was rather talkative, even at the worst of times. At her best, she could go for entire speeches without pausing for breath. And Amelia…was Amelia. In the two short years I had worked with her in the dress shop, I think I managed to get one hour of silence in total.

So the two of them together…was an experience.

I don't think I actually told Amelia even one phrase of my story. I could hardly get a word in. Clara embellished in great romantic detail, as she always did. I don't think I'd ever been in a conversation with so many words in such a short space of time.

Bea jaw dropped at one point, unable to fathom how two people could make so much noise.

She was so stunned in fact, that Amelia managed to fit her for a dress.

Bea did not wear dresses.

She wore one of the day of her ascension to Duchess, and not since, if she could help it. She did wear one to Scarlett and Alexander's wedding, but that was because we didn't want to attract attention to her. If she'd been sat in trousers, it would have stood out more, risking herself. I honestly had thought that she would be wearing trousers to my wedding.

But somehow, she was either too stunned, or Clara somehow convinced her to wear a dress. She even chose fabric and a colour for it.

At that point, even I was too stunned to say anything.

She did choose a subtle burgundy velvet. Nothing too fancy. If anyone didn't know, they never would guess that she was a Duchess.

Unlike Ella.

Ella now seemed to have the grace and confidence that came with her rank. And she certainly had the clothes to match.

It was something Clara was very jealous of. She loved Ella's clothes. Which was why she spent an agonisingly long amount of time trying to pick the fabric and style. She wanted to dress like the highborn she wanted to be. She eventually settled on a lavender flowing dress. One that flared out whenever she spun around. She took so long to choose, that Gwen managed to get fitted and select her colour before Clara had reached a decision.

Gwen picked a pretty shade of pink for her dress. It wasn't quite as flowing as Clara's was going to be, but it was close. With some ribbons in her hair, she would look like a little princess.

Clara reminded us several times that we simply had to invite Robert, the soldier she'd taken a liking to. I knew someone wanted to dance the night away…

As long as Clara took over choosing her dress, it surprisingly wasn't the longest it took to get measured.

Because after my sisters, was Scarlett.

It should have been a straightforward fitting. However, the fact remained that Scarlett's dresses were getting tighter and tighter.

She'd only just begun to show. It was hardly noticeable to anyone who didn't already know. But it was almost impossible to judge if she'd grow any larger over the course of a week.

Everyone seemed to have different opinions. It almost escalated into a fight.

But in the end, Scarlett decided that a less restricting gown was probably in order. The waistline was lifted an inch or two, and the fastening would not be as tight as usual. Scar chose a green gown, which matched her hair very nicely.

Which only left one person.

Me.

The bride.

It felt so strange to be thinking about my wedding dress.

All the way through my first betrothal, it had already been decided for me. The one single ball gown I owned.

My lovely emerald green gown. I still had it. Hanging somewhere in the wardrobe at the Palace. The dress I was meant to marry Jack in.

But now, after everything that happened, I just couldn't wear it.

That dress was now my wedding dress…to James.

It had been creased and crinkled, and hadn't fit very well, but it had still been my wedding dress.

And simply the thought of wearing it to marry someone who wasn't James…I couldn't bear it.

The day was going to be emotional enough, without all the memories of my first marriage resurfacing.

The girl who had worn that dress to her wedding was not the same woman I was now.

And it somehow felt almost disrespectful to James to wear it again. That was our day. It was a mad, rushed, insane and unbelievable day; but it was still ours.

Jack and I deserved to make our own memories. Just as good, but separate.

So when Amelia began to fit me for a dress, I took great pleasure in describing the wedding dress I wanted. At least now, I could afford it. Or at least, Bianca could afford it, and I completely abused that privilege.

Amelia grinned when she noted the exact colour of fabric I chose. I knew she would understand. She, after all, was the only other person in the room when that moment occurred. Clara was too busy talking to notice, and Bea had better things to think about than the colour of my dress.

The fittings took all morning, but once we were done, it was straight onto the next task.

Bea disappeared up to the castle to go over more things with Christopher, whilst I went to ask Isabelle a rather large favour.

Before my brothers and sisters had left for Milton the day before, Alexander had written a letter to the headmaster of Ashburne school and one to our brothers, telling them of the upcoming wedding. Scar had found out from Bianca and their birds. My brothers were to take a few days off school to come to my wedding.

But we currently had nowhere for them to stay.

I was hoping to ask Isabelle if she would help me ask Weston if we could use some more spare rooms. He did after all, have more than enough space.

However, Isabelle would have none of it.

'No! They can't stay there! It far too far away from you all!' She cried, grinning.

I simply sat in her house, rather confused.

This was not how I imagined this conversation going.

'I'm sorry to ask Isabelle, but I don't know where else they can stay.' I told her, completely bewildered by the happy look on her face.

'Let me think.' She said, with a tone that implied she was not thinking of this, right this second. She already had a solution. 'Why don't they stay here?'

'Here?'

'Yes, here.' She told me. 'In this house. That's normally what here means.'

'Isabelle, that's very kind of you. But your father needs tending to, and hosting three young boys…I couldn't put that strain on you.' I said.

'No, it would be fine. And I wouldn't need to host.' She smiled.

'What?'

'I was thinking, that my father would be far more comfortable in different surroundings…richer surroundings, don't you think?' She said. 'This cottage isn't exactly the height of comfort. Especially if you aren't feeling well.'

I was utterly confused.

But suddenly, I understood it.

Of course.

She was using that as an excuse.

'So, you want to take your father somewhere nicer to recover. A certain Castle perhaps?' I asked. 'And of course he'd need his daughter to go with him.'

Isabelle sighed.

'I know. I know how it sounds. It sounds like I've lost my mind, and will do anything to be near Adam.' She said.

'It does rather.'

'But…I miss it. The castle. I don't bump into Adam in the middle of the night when I'm fetching water. We don't stay up late telling each other stories. We don't all have meals together like we did. And I know it sounds stupid, because he is only a short walk away, but I truly do miss him when I'm here.'

Her shoulder's slumped.

'It does sound mad, but I understand.' I told her. 'It wasn't exactly the same, but when my curse broke, with James…I faced the choice of going home or staying with him. And I couldn't bear to leave him. We were lucky though, because we were already married. So I understand the urge to be back in the castle.'

'Yes! But, don't you see! If your brothers are using my house to stay in, and my father would benefit from soft mattresses and feather pillows, then I could justifiably stay at the castle. You could use whatever you like in here, I wouldn't mind. You'd be helping me, Marion. Please?'

I grinned at her.

'As long as my brothers have somewhere to stay, I don't mind how it gets done.' I said.

Isabelle beamed.

'Thank you!' She cried, wrapping her arms around me. 'I know it's no castle, but there's two bedrooms and enough blankets. And if you need anything else, I'm sure I can send it from the castle.'

'Does Adam know you're planning on staying?'

'I'm sure I'll talk him round to it. And besides, he's got a lot of apologising to my father to make up for.' She said confidently.

'Not to put any pressure on you, but my brothers are due to arrive tomorrow.' I told her.

Isabelle practically flew to her feet.

'No time to waste then! Are you coming with me to the castle?' She asked.

'If that's alright? Jack should be up there.'

'Why is Jack up there?'

'He was going to ask Adam for something.'

'What?'

I glanced out of the window.

'We haven't exactly chosen the most…perfect time of year for a wedding. November can be rather cold on nights.' I explained. 'So, we need somewhere inside to host everyone. And there aren't that many place in the village that can hold so many people. I can't think of anywhere.'

Isabelle raised her eyebrows.

'And you thought Jack could handle that? All you had to do was ask me.'

'You seem awfully confident of your power over Adam.'

'So I should be. You should be too, with Jack. I heard you managed to convince him to move into a Palace!'

That was true. It would be an enormous adjustment for him, to go from servant to master. And not one that would be a comfortable transition.

'And,' Isabelle continued, 'It works both ways. I know if he asked me to do anything like that, I would agree just as easily.'

'Yes, but you don't have a castle to lend out.'

'Not yet I don't.' Isabelle teased. I knew it was in jest, but some small part of me knew that it would be true before long. No, not even a small part of me. All of me. There was something about the way that Isabelle spoke of her relationship with Adam, that left us all in no doubt of what exactly would be happening in the near future.

So, as Isabelle and myself made out way up to the Castle, my mind began to wander.

If circumstances had been different, then the Palace would have been an ideal place to host a wedding in November. But I was already making Jack move there; having him get married in a place that he hadn't spent his any of his life in, seemed a little cruel. We'd planned to get married here in Milton before. And as long as I married him, I didn't really care. We could be married in a field, and I wouldn't mind. But Milton meant Home for Jack, just as the Palace was home for me.

Jack and I had been apart for so long. My heart almost hurt with how much he must have gone through. I knew I had no right to grieve for the time we had lost, seeing as though I was ignorant for the entire time. But part of me did now. I knew what I had done to him, and that made my heart heavy.

Two years in that castle. Isabelle might have been there, but she had been free to leave if she had wanted to. Jack had been trapped. No escape, and knowing all the time that I was out there somewhere, living my own life and forgetting all about him. And now I knew that all the while, it had partially been my fault, to avert the war.

There was no way I could possibly repay him for what he had done for me. And I knew that Jack would not think of it as a debt, but I in some small way…did.

Jack loved me. Just as strongly as I loved him. He was fiercely loyal and kind, and would do anything for me. I needed to show that to him.

The resolve settled in me as the castle came into sight.

I had an entire lifetime with Jack to prove that to him.

And by the stars, I was going to.

I had no idea where the next few days went by.

I never seemed to stop. Every moment was filled with some form of organising or tasks to be accomplished.

But I supposed we had rather brought this upon ourselves, trying to plan a wedding in a week.

Despite the fact that my first wedding had been planned in a few hours, this still took up all my time. But, in my other one, all that had been organised was the priest and the church. I'd brought my own dress, and Gwen had picked some forest flowers for me. We hadn't had a reception to celebrate afterwards, or anyone other than family in attendance.

For this, we possibly had the Prince and Princess arriving.

It was my own fault. I'd felt guilty that Rose had invited me to her wedding, and even though I hadn't gone, I still felt obliged to repay the favour. I knew their lives were very busy, but I'd gotten to know Philip rather well whilst at the war camp. They hadn't sent word to say they would be attending, however, they also hadn't said they wouldn't be.

It was quite a different affair to my wedding to James.

At that one, we'd only had my newly humanised brothers and sisters.

At this one, there would be two Duchesses, a Duke, three Lords, several ladies and knights, as well as most of the population of Milton, and possibly members of the Royal Family.

We'd had a week to plan this.

And yet, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.

Because the day had finally come. In only a few hours…We would be married.

After nearly two years of delay, I would finally be able to call Jack my husband.

I'd tried to get what sleep I could, but was woken well before dawn, by my sister almost dragging me out of bed. There was a unanimous agreement, that Clara might be more excited about the wedding herself, than everyone else combined.

Yes, I was excited for the wedding. But I was more excited about spending the rest of my life with Jack.

Whereas, Clara had spent just as much time as both me and Jack, in planning for it. Whilst Jack and I had been visiting friends to invite them, or writing letters, she'd been organising the flower arrangements, the decorations at the church and castle, the food and drink, the musicians, and any other small detail that needed to be sorted.

I knew I should have played a more active role in organising, but she seemed quite happy to take charge. I only had a few small requests, which, to her credit, she did manage to sort out.

My sisters and I had gone for our final fitting with Amelia yesterday. I'd offered to give Amelia some money for her own dress, but she claimed she didn't want it. Apparently, she still had her dress that she was going to wear two years ago, that she hadn't had a chance to wear yet.

Madam Cartwright, on the other hand, was more than happy to take Bianca's money from her. She did run a business after all.

So, we returned to the cottage with our new dresses. And I was told I was under strict orders not to see Jack until the church the next day.

At least I didn't have the Fae to worry about. No more surprise visits in the middle of the night.

Just a surprise waking up from Clara.

She insisted that we didn't have much time. Six hours didn't count as much time. I thought she was being ridiculous.

However, it took at least an hour to brush through and style Gwen's curls. The flowers just did not want to stay in place. Luckily, Scarlett arrived once the sun had risen, and she had a gift with being able to control Gwen's hair.

'Nervous?' Bea asked me, as I tried to lace her into her dress.

'Actually,' I said, 'No.'

'Oh, don't start. If you're going to get all 'lovey dovey' on me, you can be quiet right now.' She complained.

'More excited than nervous.' I said.

'I was talking more about the whole being the centre of attention in front of the whole town and all those people you've invited.'

'Are you still bitter about Antony?'

'No! Why would you think of such a thing?' Bea cried.

I'd invited Antony to the wedding. It only seemed fair. Christopher and Philip had both been invited, and Antony had been a good friend to me at the War camp. However, this would be the first time Antony and Bianca would see each other, since their…ending of…whatever they had. Bianca had raised some objections when I told her the letter had been sent.

'Are you?' I asked.

'No, just don't ask me to talk to him.'

'Even if I did, you wouldn't.

'Very true.'

I pulled her laces suddenly very tight, making Bea gasp in air.

'It's my wedding day, you don't have to talk to him, but I ask that you are civil if he finds you.'

Bea had no response to that. It was my wedding day, the one and only day I was allowed to control everything. Even if I had delegated a large portion of the responsibility to Clara.

She grumbled something in response that I couldn't quite hear. She knew that today, she was not winning any argument.

I released her, and she immediately wanted her revenge on me by fastening me into my wedding dress.

'Arry?' Gwen asked, staring at the dress I pulled out of the wardrobe, 'Why is your dress that colour?'

Clara, Scar, and Bea all turned to face me.

'Because I wanted it to be.' I told them all bluntly.

'But, Ella had a white wedding dress. And you and Scarlett both had green wedding dresses. So why are you wearing blue now?' She asked.

I draped my dress over the nearby chair.

'It's not just blue.' I told them honestly, 'It's a sort of joke.'

'A Joke?' Clara cried. 'Your wedding cannot be a joke.'

'No, not like that. Jack will understand.' I told them.

'Why is it only Jack who gets to understand?' Bea demanded.

That made me pause.

It had just felt right, choosing that colour. There was no point in me wearing a white dress. I wasn't exactly….as pure as white dresses were meant to represent. This was my second wedding after all. So, I had chosen a colour that meant something to both Jack and myself.

'It's called 'Forget-me-not blue'. They were the last flowers Jack gave me before the curse hit.' I told them. 'I thought it was rather funny, given the circumstances.'

They all froze.

Nothing.

Until, surprisingly, it was Gwen who burst out laughing.

'You are wearing a forget-me-not dress, to get married to someone you forgot for a long time?' She asked.

'Yes.' I told her honestly.

Clara's jaw dropped.

But Bea just burst out laughing.

'I also think that I look rather fine in this colour.' I told them.

'Well, there's no time to change it now. Get it on!' Clara snapped at me, whilst trying to move some pots off the table so the flowers could go there.

I grinned as I disappeared into the bedroom to change out of my nightgown. I quickly removed it and pulled the silk dress on for warmth. Early November mornings were not exactly the warmest time.

Bea took great pride in her revenge in tightening the laces, before I sat at the small dressing table and let Scarlett loosen the ribbons that had been tied in my hair overnight. Soft ringlets fell, which faded into curls, once Scar brushed them out a little. Clara took it upon herself to try and use what little rouge and powders Ella had lent us. It took her several attempts on Gwen first to get it right.

But once everything was finally sorted, the anticipation began to curl inside my stomach.

I was getting married.

After all this time, I was finally getting married to Jack.

No more curses, no more separation. We would live together, wake up together, share the day together.

Today was not a day of melancholy that it had been delayed. Now that I knew why, it only made today all the sweeter.

We had managed it. Despite Fae plots and schemes, we had still made it to our wedding day. As well as saving a few thousand men from death along the way. There were several reasons to celebrate.

But that didn't stop the nerves.

The anticipation grew too much; I couldn't eat. Clara thought it was romantic, and Bea thought it was a waste of a perfectly good breakfast, that she hadn't made. Luckily, her sister was a much better cook than Bea, and everyone else enjoyed the meal.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to calm myself down. I hadn't been this nervous for my first wedding. But, then again, there hadn't really been enough time to get this nervous.

This time, there was.

Despite the nerves growing within me, the time still seemed to pass quickly.

Far too quickly.

Because, before I knew it, I was walking out of the cottage, a small bunch of flowers in my hand and a lace veil thrown back over my hair.

It was only a short walk from the cottage to the Church, but I noted every step. The streets were nearly deserted. I hadn't expected so many people to attend, but I guessed the rumour about the Prince and Princess possibly coming to visit had rather aided that aspect.

Who could possibly refuse the chance to meet royalty?

As I walked, I did begin to wonder….

How did Lowborn me, end up exactly like this? I'd been born the eldest daughter of a Farm labourer, I'd never had money, or titles, or any sort of status. And somehow, by manipulations and possibly luck; I was a lady, with a Duchess for a sister-in-Law and closest friend, with two knighted brothers, and a niece that was going to become our future Duchess, and Royalty attending my wedding.

I would never claim to know why I was chosen for any of this. Any small part of this grand adventure. Any girl could have wandered into Bianca's path on the road, with better connections than me; helping in her war against her stepmother. But somehow, it had been me.

The Church loomed before us, and the distinct hum of conversation seemed to buzz from within.

This was it. The moment that I had planned for nearly two years ago, it was finally here.

The start of my new life with Jack. No curses, or silence, or misery. Simply, a normal life.

Or as normal a life that I was able to have.

But a life with Jack at my side. Not just him though.

For much of the past year, I'd felt so sorry for myself. After James' death, part of me thought that I was going to spend the rest of my life alone, with no one to share it with.

Little did I realise how I was never going to be alone.

My family had been there with me, every single step of the way. James had not been my entire life, despite how much I grieved for him.

I had wonderful sisters, and amazing brothers who had stood by my through everything I had gone through. This day had all been put together due to Clara's hard work. Gwen had kept me in the real world. My three younger brothers had always tried their best to distract me; Robbie with his games, Tom with his conversation and Richard with his knowledge and books. Daniel had always been there to put a smile on my face, and Alexander had talked about Scarlett until my ears wanted to bleed.

But they had all stood by me, in their own way. I don't quite know why I'd been so focused on being alone if I didn't have a husband, when that would never have been the case. I suppose that what you get when you have seven siblings.

And now that family was growing ever larger. First with the addition of Scarlett and Bea, who had turned out to be some of the best people I have ever had the privilege to know. Then, with the new baby, and now finally, with Jack.

May it grow ever larger.

It wasn't just my family I had with me today either. I'd had so many friend along the way, every one of them changing me somehow.

I was quite a different person from the young girl that wandered up the path to the manor house all those years ago. Nearly eight years of growing up and life does that to you.

But, it all lead me here.

To now.

And, for one of the first time in my life, I could almost finally admit that I was content.

I'd been happy for brief days before this. Of course I had. But there always seemed to be another event or something; that altered everything. I seemed to always be waiting for something to go wrong.

Not today.

Today was for celebrating.

And celebrate we would.

All of us stopped outside the front of the church, while I let loose a long held breath.

Scarlett and Bea said a brief good luck, before disappearing inside the church. Scarlett gave Alexander a quick peck on the cheek, before she ran through the door. All my brothers were inside, apart from Alexander. He was going to walk me down the aisle. Just as he had the last time. Only this time, he genuinely approved.

'Nervous?' He asked.

'Excited, and worried about tripping over my own feet. So, nothing new there.' I told him, ignoring the growing butterflies in my stomach.

'At least this time you can speak.' He tried to joke.

'No!' Clara shouted. 'No jokes of any sort today. I've spent far too long planning for everything to not run smoothly due to messing around.'

I caught the corner of Gwen's eye, which left me in no doubt that she was going to do everything in her power to irritate Clara today. What sister wouldn't?

We quickly lined up, aware that time was marching past us.

Alexander coughed.

'Without wishing to sound rude,' He whispered, 'But are you planning on wearing your emerald?'

My hand instantly went to my neck, where James' emerald did indeed hang. I simply put it on as a matter of habit, as I did every morning.

It was still there, just like the day he had placed it around my neck.

And, as much as it pained me…I knew it was time to take it off.

I loved James. And some part of me always would. He wasn't my first love, but I had thought of him that way. Those few months we had would forever be a part of me.

But, this is what he wanted.

He'd said himself, he had wanted me to be happy. Just as I would have wanted him to be happy if I'd been the one to go.

What time we'd had had been so special, and so incredible. But that time was over.

I could finally accept that.

Slowly, I passed my flowers to my brother, as my hands reached round to the clasp at the back of my neck.

Unclipping, I felt the emerald sink past my collarbone, and then finally leave my skin.

It was time to let him go. I could let go of his sense of humour, his smirk, the way his eyes used to shine just the same shade as this emerald.

And that was alright. I had a new chapter of my life to begin.

James would have agreed with me. I just knew he would have. He was too good not to.

I handed my necklace to Alexander.

'Can you put that in your pocket?' I asked. 'I want that back.'

He nodded, and securely tucked it inside his left pocket, handing me my flowers back.

'He would want this for you.' My brother told me.

I could only nod.

'Just as I would want for him.' I whispered in response.

Alexander smiled and held out his arm to me.

'For the last time, Lady Thorne.' He said.

'Ready?' Clara asked, standing as straight as she possibly could, proudly bearing herself like a lady.

I sighed deeply.

'Yes, I am.' I said, looping my arm through my brother's.

I was ready.

I was ready for this wedding, for what came after, for the life ahead.

After curses and magic; death, manipulations and coincidences; I was ready for anything.

And I was ready for love.

Jack was it for me. This shy, sweet, handsome boy I had met all those years ago, would finally live alongside me.

And part of me knew, that this truly was the end of one large chapter of my life. It would be different after this.

But it was also the start of something just as good.

The doors to the church opened before us, and we took our first step inside.

Towards my new life.

Not just an end, but a beginning.

A grand adventure still to come.

Not an adventure in stories, or legends, or any of that.

Just a normal story in a normal life.

And that was enough for me.

It was more than enough.

Simple things are vastly underrated. There truly is such beauty in normal things. It simply took me far too long to see that.

But now I do.

I truly do.

For, I was finally happy, and exactly where I wanted to be.

A heroine no more.

Just me, Marion.

And my incredible story.


	26. Epilogue

Epilogue.

We now reach the end of my story. Where all my battles seem won, and my adventure finished.

It was in fact, not quite the end.

Such is the way of time; no matter what you do, or how much it feels like an ending, the wheel of time keeps spinning. It continues, day after day, story after story. Nothing ever really stop, never ends.

I always seemed to think that once I had my big adventure, then I would be done. My name in history.

But my wedding to Jack was only the start of something, not the end.

It was nothing worth writing, no grand adventure, no more curses or trials or suffering. Just living together, growing older together.

A normal life.

Well, as about as normal as our life could be.

Once, when I had imagined being married to Jack, it had meant living in the same house, both working every day, trying to save what little we could to make ends meet. Our little cottage on the edge of the village would have suited us, just enough to call our own.

But no longer.

As promised, Jack and I returned to the Palace once our honeymoon had ended. It was quite the adjustment for him; from once being a servant, to being a man who could summon a person with the pull of a rope. I knew I struggled with it initially, and I'd been a servant for a far shorter time than Jack.

We spent many happy months there, with my family.

We were also there the following spring, when a certain new arrival decided to make an appearance.

Scarlett gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on the second day of May. Bea and I tried to look surprised when Alexander came out to tell us that he had a daughter.

And oh, how he doted on her.

I'd seen fathers adore their children before, but when this breathtaking little thing came into the world, I knew she had him wrapped around her little finger without having to say a word. She even melted Bea's heart. I genuinely thought that Bianca had gone mad the moment she held her niece in her arms and started cooing to her.

Bea never cooed.

Ever.

But for this little girl, she did.

Alexander and Scarlett called her Elizabeth. Or Lizzie for short. Elizabeth May Brown. She was named after Bea and Scarlett's mother, who had passed when Scarlett was only five years old. But Bea assured us that she would have loved her granddaughter very much.

Our future Duchess. A long time in the future.

Every one of us doted on her; and we were not a particularly small family. She practically had an entire army of Aunts and Uncles to turn to.

Speaking of which, Daniel eventually joined the army. He seemed very content with the routine, and he made lifelong friends with his quick wit and sarcastic tone. And although I was hesitant at first, I came round to the idea in the end.

The Fae had told me that my actions had avoided a horrific civil war. And whilst little Elizabeth lived, there was no danger of that ever occurring. So, Daniel military career was rather untouched by battle.

He did go abroad once, but that was to aid a foreign ally keep the peace in their own country. He returned with such a tan on his face, I barely recognised him.

It was just his good luck to have Bianca as a sister in law, which meant he rose through the ranks rather quickly. And his ego rose just as fast.

He told many, many tales of girls he'd met, and how they all seemed to fall completely for him in his smart uniform. However, he never married. Bea and Daniel would tease us all endlessly for our commitment and toast to their freedom.

We all took it lightly. For while it was true that Bea never married, she wasn't exactly alone.

It took several months of secrets and whispers. So when Bianca announced that we were hosting a guest, it came as no surprise when Lady Jaqueline joined us for a visit.

And then never left.

They both claimed it was a political decision. That Jaqueline was here to help Bea with paperwork and organisation and such like. She'd done that for Ella after all, she had experience.

But we all saw it for what it was.

When it was just family, they might as well have been married. I know Bianca's nieces and nephews seemed to think so.

At public events and gatherings, Jaqueline was introduced as the Duchess's companion. For the most part, it worked. No one batted an eyelid or spread malicious gossip about them. It was one of the family's best kept secrets.

They were very happy together. Bea's headstrong streak was softened a little by Jaqueline's calm and quiet presence. They had their fights, as did everyone from time to time. And Bea was generally too proud to admit she was in the wrong, which she frequently was.

When this happened, Jaqueline simply took herself on holiday to visit Ella. And I generally joined her.

Ella and Christopher became close friends of us all once more. I spent a good amount of time making up for that year of distance, getting to know them again, and properly introducing myself to Jonathan and Eleanor. Hours and hours were spent with Eleanor in my arms, and Jonathan showing me all his toys and insisting both me and Jack play with him.

However, despite how much I loved those children, the true moment that made my heart skip a beat was the moment I held my first god-child in my arms.

Ella and Christopher had another baby, born nearly three years after Eleanor. The little thing almost shared his mother's birthday, but decided to make an appearance just a few hours before midnight. And just like with Jonathan, I was in the palace waiting.

They had told me before-hand that they wished me to be his godmother.

But my heart stopped when they introduced me to little James William Howards; named in honour of the two men who passed almost on that exact day three years ago.

Little James even had dark hair, just like his namesake. My heart was lost the moment he opened his blue eyes to blink up at me.

I could hardly form words to tell them anything that was going through my head. So, with little James in my arms, I simply wept. And I knew I would do everything I could to protect him from any harm. I could barely hear Christopher trying to explain to me how he hoped I approved, and thought it was a good way of honouring his memory. A nod was the only response he received.

Christopher and Ella had five children over the years. As well as Jonathan, Eleanor and James, they also welcomed into the world Edmund Arthur, and Georgiana Emily. How Ella went through childbirth five times, I would never understand.

Three was plenty enough for me.

Yes, two and a half years after our wedding, I very happily announced to Jack and to the world that there would be a little Hale joining us soon. Jack, of course, was overjoyed. Bea pretended to be less thrilled, claiming she already had two nieces, and she was struggling to keep track of them.

She changed her mind rather quickly though when she finally saw my daughter for the first time.

I didn't care much for childbirth; that part, I could have rather lived without. But oh, once she was here…

I couldn't even begin to describe how perfect my little girl was. Truly a little angel. It took both Jack and I quite a while to come to terms with the fact we had made something so beautiful. She grew up to have my hair and face, but Jack's lovely eyes. I could watch her sleep for hours and never get bored of it.

We called her Lily Hannah Hale. Jack was rather insistent on Lily, though I never really knew why. But I wanted Hannah in her name, after my mother. I missed her so much at that time, without her around to help or give advice. She always seemed to know what to do with babies. It was probably down to the fact she'd had eight children. But Jack and I didn't really know where to begin. I wasn't quite sure how it was possible to feel so happy, yet scared, yet utterly confused at once.

Somehow, we managed to raise her, after asking a lot of advice from both Ella and Scarlett. By the time Lily was born, Alexander and Scarlett had two girls, Elizabeth and Katherine Anne. We never seemed to call them by their real names, it was always Lizzie and Kitty. Our already rather large family simply kept growing.

After Lily, I found myself with child again, a boy this time. He was lucky and inherited Jack's vibrant red hair, but the grey eyes of the Browns. We named him Samuel Joshua, after his grandfathers. As he grew up, he learnt very quickly that we called him Sam most of the time, and Samuel when he was in trouble, which he frequently was. As with most small boys, he was always running around everywhere and seemed to have an endless source of energy. He was always climbing trees and jumping over streams, racing his sister and cousins.

But he was always happy. He was such a happy child. Even if it was exhausting for Jack and I.

The only problem there was with Sam, is that he was the only boy growing up. Scarlett and Alexander went on to have three girls in total, with Alice Harriet being born several years after Kitty. Which I think was one of the reasons he liked to go with me to visit Ella so often. He practically idolized Jonathan and James, as the big brothers he never had. They would get into mud fights, and build dens and get themselves into all sorts of mischief when they were all together. Mischief that unfortunately continued well into their school days. I knew somewhere, my James would have been proud of them.

Five years after Sam was born, I was shocked to find out I had another one on the way. And as much as I loved my children, I did have to finally admit that I would not be put through childbirth another time after the birth of Grace.

Jack was surprisingly accepting of her name when I told him I wanted to name her after James' mother. Despite the fact I was no longer a Thorne, I had been the last member of that family, and it only seemed right to continue it in memory.

In the end, we called her Grace Blanche. And in doing so, we almost made Bea cry.

Grace was such a sweet child. She absolutely adored her father, and spend hours trying to copy his art. As a toddler, she loved to match their hair, and try and grab her brother's. I did feel a little sorry for her as she got older, because her siblings were much closer in age, and would always play without her. This usually lead to the summoning of her Aunty Bea from the palace to play with her.

Bea made a rule that she was allowed to leave any meeting, any duties, if one of her nieces or nephews demanded her presence. She argued that they wouldn't be that age forever, so she was going to be as much a part of it as she could. Bea angered quite a few courtiers with this, but she fought them all off, stating that they could join her and carry a child around on their back and continue business, if they so chose. Most of them grumbled a negative response.

On the whole, we were very happy, the five of us. Jack and I would play games with them. Sometimes, Jack would sit sketching, while I chased them around the garden. He taught them all how to draw, a skill I never managed to conquer, no matter how many lessons I had. Instead, I would read to them by the fire, watching as Grace's eyes would begin to droop as she snuggled into her father's chest. Sam sometimes fell asleep as well, but Lily always made it until the end, and then would bombard me with questions about the most specific details. Her memory was always incredible. I always thought she would have changed the world if she was allowed to attend school, like her brother and Uncles.

That was where Isabelle stepped into help.

I was right in one regard. Isabelle and Adam became betrothed less than six months after the curse broke. She later told me that she pushed for it, due to an incorrect feeling she had that she might have been with child; which only seemed to confirm my suspicions of why she was visiting the castle so often.

They married quickly, and decided to go and travel the world. The letters I received from far off shores painted wondrous images of cultures, adventures and inventions. There were times I thought that Isabelle wouldn't ever come back. And there were certainly times when I would rather have liked to join her, especially when winters cruel bite froze us all and she wrote of endless sun.

But she did return. And a year after Sam was born, she had her own first child. They called her Beatrice, after Mrs Potter, the woman who had gotten them both through the curse. She was just as bright as her mother, and an excellent older sister for when Isabelle next children were born two years later; a set of twins. In fact, it was the twins who gave Isabelle caused to improve my girls lives.

Even though the Twins were both born on the same day, to the same station in life, the only difference was that one was a boy, and the other, a girl. So, Charles was to inherit his father's title, and be permitted to attend school, whereas Louisa wasn't. And Isabelle certainly wasn't the type of person to let one of her children have something the others weren't allowed.

Therefore, in a rather bold move, Isabelle declared that she would be opening and partially funding the first school for girls in the country.

Bianca sold her a plot of land with an abandoned manor house that they spent several months rebuilding. Her three children came to stay with us for a few weeks while Isabelle and Adam stayed close to the manor to oversee the final details. Sam rather liked having another boy in the house, and treated Charles like the little brother he never had. It was several weeks of chasing after the two of them while they got covered in mud and dragged it through the house.

But at the end of it, Isabelle had built the very first school my daughters were allowed to attend. Isabelle let them go for free, given that myself and Bianca contributed a substantial amount of money when she first suggested the idea.

And as an extra favour to me, Isabelle also let my sister Gwen teach there. She was fully grown by then, but I knew she had been desperate to go since my brother's had gone to Ashburne. Bianca had brought in a governess to educate her while she was growing up. But, part of her had felt a little cheated out of going to school. Which is why she embraced tutoring other girls like I'd never seen her embrace anything else.

Unfortunately, with so many of her nieces in attendance, they always knew how to get extra cake from the kitchen, or longer breaks, by appealing to Aunty Gwen.

But thanks to the efforts of Isabelle, Gwen, and the other tutors, the school was a roaring success. It wasn't just daughters of well off families that had the chance to get an education. Isabelle travelled around local villages, and paid for the education of any young girl who had potential.

They taught all the girls languages, art, history, mathematics, literature, and even let them debate political issues. My girls could more than hold their own against their brother. Jack and I used to listen to them arguing about this issue, or that. We generally stayed silent, unable to comprehend how proud we were of them all. Lily had the highest aspirations. She wanted to go to the Royal Court and become an advisor, something no woman had ever managed before.

It also helped rather a lot that we stayed in contact with Rose and Philip over the years. They did attend my wedding, attracting rather a large crowd. So, over the years, we made several trips to the Royal Palace to visit them. Lily loved these visits. And she particularly admired Rose.

Rose truly shone as a Princess. Unfortunately, the circumstances of her opportunity to demonstrate her skill were not very happy . Her father became seriously ill a few years after being reunited with his daughter, and much of the day to day ruling of the country was given to Rose. Philip, of course, was also there to help, but Rose remarkably stood on her own two feet, and became a truly inspiring leader.

It was a great shame that the King never lived to see his grandson born. He was born around the same time Grace was, two years into Queen Rose's reign. Philip and Rose named him Thomas Stefan, in part after the old King. He actually attended Ashburne, due to Philip's insistence, and Sam always said he was rather reserved; curious but quiet. Much like his mother.

Rose accomplished many things in her reign as Queen. She fought hard to encourage Isabelle and like-minded people that girls should be educated. Rose pointed out several times that she saw absolutely no reason why women and men were treated differently. She, of course, had grown up isolated from the world, and surrounded by women. It was rather satisfying to watch how many men had to hold their tongue in her presence, because she was royalty, and they had to listen to her. Rose and Isabelle both firmly believed that if women were educated in all things; not just sewing and manners, then they would have the foundation to stand on their own, and not be put down or set aside.

My own education was rather limited; I'd simply had the good fortune to not really need one. But just seeing how my own girls were able to hold their own, it did give me hope that they would never go through some of the trials I did.

Rose also did yet another radical thing. She made it illegal for execution to be used as a punishment. A rather bold idea.

I had been rather lucky in my life, that I'd never attended an execution. No one in Rault had been charged with such a serious crime in years. But I knew it did happen. And in such cases as Nerissa, I would see why it could be justice.

But even Bea didn't want that for her.

Murder, even attempted murder, was a capital offence. But Nerissa was never executed. I think part of Bea thought that she wouldn't be punished enough by being killed. It would be over too quickly, and she wouldn't repent.

Instead, Nerissa spent the rest of her life locked in a dungeon. She had no contact with Bea or Scarlett, and over time, she was almost forgotten by us all. It was only years later, when we learned she had died in her cell, did any of us think to dwell on her at all. No one was in the least upset. I think the best we could do was think on her with pity. That she felt no happiness or love in her life.

Luckily, the same could not be said of her stepdaughters, or our family.

We all spent many happy years together. Myself and Jack moved out of the palace when we found we were expecting Lily, and made a nearby manor house our home. Scarlett and Alexander stayed in the palace in their own wing with their girls. Clara eventually got her fairy tale ending after years of courting Robert from a distance. Whenever he was allowed leave, he appeared at the palace. And after quite a few weeks of planning and exchanging letters with myself and Scarlett, Clara got the surprise of her life.

Robert proposed in a room full of roses, without telling Clara he was coming to see her. Scarlett and I spent hours setting everything up with him. It truly was perfect for her; something she took great pride in telling everyone about for many years later. Surprisingly, she was older than we all had been at the time our weddings, not exactly what we had predicted for Clara at all.

But, she was happy. She and Robert had one son, Simon; after who, Clara admitted that maybe childbirth was not best romanticised. Once was more than enough for her.

My brothers managed to exceed expectations. Richard loved school so much that once he left, he was immediately employed by Rose in the Royal archives as a scholar. He adored working with all the old manuscripts, and writing our history with like-minded men.

Tom was not in love with School as much as Richard was. But he did make many friends there. Friends that lasted a lifetime. One of these friends was kind enough to give him a position as head of his household; a dukedom a few days travel from the palace. He helped with money and business matters. He married a girl he met there, and lived quite contently with his two children.

Robbie was the one that really shocked us. At school, he really found he had a talent in art and design. But unlike Jack, he wasn't really interested in sketching scenes and people. No, he enjoyed designing castles, palaces and houses. He made a living travelling around the country, drawing up plans and directing labourers. He helped with the construction of Isabelle's school.

His many nieces and nephews loved it when Uncle Robbie visited. He always the best stories about new places, and the secret tunnels he built into palaces. Although, he always claimed there was a hidden passageway in the girl's school, one they were never able to find. I didn't think it existed, but it didn't stop them from trying to find it.

My family had come a long way since our time in Rault. Sometimes, I would simply sit and be unable to stop my mind from wandering.

What would have happened if that Fae had never turned up, and forced us all down this path that had led to all this happiness?

Most likely, I would have married Jack, and remained a seamstress the rest of my life. My brothers would have been labourers, and Bianca and Scarlett would have been forever separated, with Nerissa ruling all.

And of course, I never would have married James.

The years did not change much for me. I still missed him. He was never forgotten about. My children all knew who he was, and even visited his grave with Jack and myself. I was not ashamed by it, he was such an important part of my story.

Which, in the end, was what we all were.

Over the years, I heard whispers and tales around campfires of stories. But this time, they were our stories.

One village told the children of the scary haunted castle that trapped people and forced them to wear masks. Jack almost spat out his wine when he heard this. They said the curse was only broken when the nearby village sent a young girl as a sacrifice. Jack almost shouted at them with the truth, but I told him to be quiet and just listen. It was rather entertaining listening to the story being twisted into much more thrilling version.

I also heard tales of a girl, I could only assume was Ella, rescued by a handsome lord from her horrid stepmother. Most of the details were surprisingly accurate, until I heard the part about the household animals being her only friends. That was a little infuriating. But not as ridiculous as a later version I heard that the Fae made her carriage out of a wooden box. And another where it was made out of a pumpkin, of all things! Ella couldn't stop laughing when I told her this.

It was all rather amusing when it was tales from my friends. But, of course, my turn came.

I began to hear stories of a girl forced into silence to protect her siblings. I even saw it written in a work of fiction years later. But in that book, I apparently had only brothers, and they were all swans. Clara was most proud that her animal form had endured all the tales, even if they had gotten her gender wrong. In this story, I was silent for seven years, one for each of my siblings. I had half a mind to find the author and tell him what actually happened.

The tale emerged in other books and collections over my lifetime. In one particular version, James was portrayed as a King of a neighbouring kingdom, and myself a lost princess. I wasn't quite sure whether I was mildly offended or pleasantly proud.

But, even that wasn't the most twisted tale we found.

No, that honour went to Bea.

Bea's story became rather infamous in the immediate aftermath of the siege of the palace. The wronged Duchess who had hidden away for years, only to force her stepmother out. And in most cases, they even kept in the detail of Bianca staying with my family in her final year of hiding.

But the largest omission was the presence of Scarlett.

The tale even reached as far as neighbouring kingdoms. Daniel told us when he returned that even he had heard it abroad. But in almost every version, Scarlett was missing.

The kiss of true love was always there; causing Bea to return from the dead. However, we only heard tale of a handsome man who woke her from her death-like state.

This, Bea was most offended by. But it didn't stop the story from spreading.

I'm almost every version, Bea was woken by a man who then carried her off into the sunset. This made Jaqueline laugh like nothing else I've ever seen.

I knew that Antony was technically present at the time, but her was nowhere near her 'corpse'.

But the truly shocking difference came years later, and from a translated book from a far off shore.

It started with a partial truth.

That when Bea was hiding from her stepmother, she hid in a cottage with children.

That was true.

But then it turned into only children. Myself included.

I knew I had only been 20 when Bea stayed. But I'd been married and widowed by that point. Hardly the experiences of a child. But, to the authors credit, there were mainly children in the house.

The true horror came when we were shown the book to find that out tale had evolved from only children... to dwarves!

Little bearded men of a child's height! Me!

Bea's look of complete horror was quite a sight to see!

I knew that stories get twisted all the time, and that no one ever remembers all the details exactly, but this was a little extreme.

This is, in part, why you are reading these words right now, dear reader. I thought it was about time that the stories were put straight, as I knew them to happen.

It's taken me almost a lifetime to finally put pen to paper on this story. I wrote many other things over the course of my long life, but my own tale eluded me for years. And as I guess that these tales of magic and fantasy will only grow more wild and unreal, I wanted on some part to have my own voice heard with the truth.

Even after all these years, the questions I have been asking have never truly been answered. I still don't know why any of this occurred to me. Fate and coincidence are two things I never actually managed to separate.

How much exactly was just sheer chance, that gave me a family I loved with all my heart, two husbands who I could never have lived without, and a life that I could never have imagined of growing up?

It has been my good, and sometimes bad, fortune to endure all of this. Nothing has ever been perfect, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

It has been my utter privilege, dear reader, to finally share my story with you. Take from it what you will, I leave the interpretation to you. Some have thought me a heroine, others, just someone with incredibly good luck.

Myself, I've always simply thought as I always have.

I am a person called Marion Brown. An ordinary person, with a rather remarkable story.

A story, that has reached its conclusion after many wonderful chapters.

So I thank you. For hearing my truth.

Thank you, with all my heart.

 _Marion Brown_


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